The Braishfield Pantry
   -  A community shop and cafe-

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Unfortunately we are having to postpone this. 

Being able to provide the village with essentials during this extraordinary time is something the Pantry team is very proud of.  Offering a delivery service on top of this - to deliver to those unable to get to us - is something were are very thankful we were able to make happen and as such are very grateful to our team of volunteer drivers.  However, as lockdown eases and people are getting out and about more, demand has tailed off.  That being said, we don't want to completely stop, what has become to some, an essential service.  As such, for the time being deliveries will continue on Monday and Friday mornings only

Great news, we have sourced a local fresh fish supplier, Premier Fish will be delivering to us next week, Cod, plaice, haddock, bream, bass, salmon and mackerel will be available. Our wonderful trout and trout pate will still be supplied by New Forest Smokery. 

A massive thank you to everyone who’s continued to support our local shop during these strange and worrying times. We want to continue to help in any way possible to make things a little easier for us all.

Thanks to

• our brilliant local suppliers who’ve managed to keep us well stocked with all the usual local specialities, often doubling orders to help demand

• Sharon, who’s continued to not only bake the full range of scrummy cakes and quiches to keep everyone cheerful, but has searched suppliers high and low to source those missing items from the shelves

• all the drivers offering to do home deliveries throughout the community – there have been more than 80 phone calls during the past 3 weeks for orders to be made up for collection/delivery!

• fantastic volunteers who’ve continued to offer their help both in and out of Pantry hours, to make sure that everything continues to run smoothly

• all those of you who’ve come shopping (2 in /2 out) and not complained if you ‘ve not been able to buy flour/kitchen roll or those favourite chocolate biscuits!

We’ll continue to stay open, offering a warm welcome (at a distance) and as safe a shopping visit as possible.

Please let us know if we can help in any other way we’ve not thought of…take care, stay safe and keep smiling.

The Pantry Team          

For those unable to get to The Pantry, can we help with home deliveries in Braishfield AND NOW FARLEY & SLACKSTEAD?

• Starting Monday 23rd March

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• Contact via phone 07506 148700 - please give us time to answer!

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• Contact via email Braishfieldpantry@gmail.com

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• Payment via card/BACs or cash

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• Orders for items normally available in The Pantry - subject to availability/stock levels

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• Delivery to your door 10 – 11.30/3 – 4.30

Full details on the email network

Nb customers will need to register address/phone details and preferred payment method before first ordering – all this information will be kept securely and for the purpose of this Home Delivery Service only

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59 deliveries were made in the first 2 weeks of operation - many thanks to all involved in making this possible.

All good wishes – The Pantry Team

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ps from next week we hope to have hot cross buns!

• We are staying OPEN, until such time as we’re advised to close

• As a retailer, providing both essential food and household items, and as a social hub, we want to continue trading and offering a welcome to all in the community

• Following government guidance re social contact, The Pantry will be offering a takeaway only service for all hot drinks - and of course, the usual range of cakes!

• We’re setting up an/order delivery service to those unable to visit The Pantry, for those living within Braishfield, providing goods available from the shop

• We’ll be liaising with those already offering help to deliver etc…further details to follow

• All our suppliers are working incredibly hard to support us – we’re trying to gauge demand for items and adjust orders accordingly – please bear with us

These are unknown and challenging times –

let’s work together to support each other

The Pantry Team

The Pantry has done it again!  Last night Sharon and Lin attended the SOStar Awards Semi-Final night where the Pantry was awarded two semi-finalist certificates. 

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The SOStar Awards recognise the achievements and positive contributions of those working across the SO postcode area in the areas of hospitality, tourism and retail.

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The two categories the Pantry are semi-finalists in are - the Community award which awards businesses, groups or initiatives which delivers support and helps its community; and the award for the best Tea room / cafe, which honours a venue that provides great service and serve excellent food from local/regional suppliers. 

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We are super chuffed to of got to this stage of the awards and look forward to the finals later in the spring.

Join us for a wine tasting extravaganza as Iain takes you through a range of wines selected with Christmas in mind.  So why not pop in after casting your vote in the other event happening on this day... 

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12th December 5-7pm

What a great night Tuesday evening was - as we held our tasting event.  We have to day a massive thank you to all our wonderful suppliers for coming and showcasing their wonderful products.  And also a thank you to all of you who came out and tasted and bought.  It was a fantastic evening.  

In case you didn't make it - the photo is of Tom our award winning sausage maker - and his trophy - with Sharon (co inventor of the Braishfield Banger).

We're a little excited here - we've just found out that the Braishfield Banger has today in London WON Champion of Champions Sausage, the best in the UK and Ireland at the Butchers Shop of the Year Awards 2019.  It doesn't get any better than that.  We're thrilled for our father and son team at Greenfield Pork - Martin and Tom Martingale - what an amazing achievement.

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Come and get your Champion Sausage, a fresh batch in Thursday pm - you won't be disappointed.

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You may well of noticed that we've changed our charity collection tin at the till for anyone to put any loose change in (or more).  Having raised over £100 through our Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance tin over the last couple of years, we've now replaced it with Jumbulance.  Thank you very much to all those of you who've put your change into the tin.  We hope you will continue to support our new charity tin.  

We'll be holding our second AGM on Tuesday 8th October, starting at 6pm in the Pantry.  So if you fancy finding out how we are doing, or have any suggestions to make, do come along.

If you've been up to the Pantry in the last couple of weeks, you will no doubt of noticed how beautiful the Village Hall/Pantry garden is looking. A hard working team of volunteers from the village have been working their magic to ensure the gardens continue to look fantastic and are all ready for the summer months ahead.  

If you like your fruit and veg fresh then do pop along to the Pantry - there is always a good supply. 

Well - another Pantry event is over.  But what an event.  There was a really friendly, jovial atmosphere all evening as a steady flow of you came to taste all that the Pantry had to offer.  

But we couldn't of done this without the amazing support of our incredible suppliers.  From our award winning 'sausage man' shivering outside serving tasters of our Braishfield Bangers as people arrived; to Sharon and Janet offering everything from hams, smoked trout, trout pate, cheesy bee biscuits and honey; and then on to Charlotte Brown's delicious jams and preserves (yummy!).  Tasters were then tempted with our very popular cheese souffles, cooked fresh on the premises, before being tempted by a lovely cheese selection, before finally moving on to the amazing selection of drinks to tempt all palettes.  There were delicious gins, wines, cider and beer on offer and it certainly looked like everyone was enjoying what was on offer.

We really hope everyone who came along enjoyed themselves - you  really did all help make it a lovely evening.

Thank you.

Braishfield Pantry are very proud to announce that the 'Braishfield Banger', produced by Greenfield Pork using Roselea Aparies New Forest honey, received a score of 100/100 in the Hampshire Sausage competition, being crowned Hampshire Champion!  As a result if is now entered into the champion of champions competition, with a chance of becoming the best in the country!

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We'd like to congratulate Tom and his team for this amazing achievement.

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So do pop into the Pantry and pick up a pack of these award winning sausages when your next in (we have a new batch coming in this afternoon (Thursday 21st)).  But you might need to be quick - we expect them to be even more popular following this great news.

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The Pantry had a great night at our Late Night Christmas Shop Event.  Thanks to all those who came along.  We hope you had fun too.  There was plenty to enjoy - our gin supplier - Corner Fifty Three was there giving tasters, Ian was introducing us to the wines we can get in for this Christmas and there were nibbles galore from Sharon and team.  And then of-course there was the Christmas stock to browse and buy.

Thank you all for making it a really fun evening.

Hurrah!

Ever since Oven Door (our much loved bread supplier before Honesty), had to pause trading a year or so ago, Sharon's been keeping in touch.  Well this week Sharon had an email from them to say that they were in a position to start deliveries again.  Sharon was straight on the case and there will be fresh bread again in the Pantry from Monday.    

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Whoop Whoop!

As most will know, we've taken the decision to stop selling daily newspapers at the Pantry.  We will still stock the Romsey Advertiser each week though.  

Our first big Christmas delivery arrived at the Pantry today.  We've stored it away for our late night opening event on the 20th November. 

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Its getting exciting!

Great News - the Braishfield Pantry shopping bag back in stock.  Grab yours whilst you can.  At only £2.75 we think they're a great buy.

As you know - at the Pantry we try - where possible - to buy local.  But did you know just how local some of our fruit and veg is? 

Well some is kindly donated by villagers and offered for sale at the Pantry.  So next time you see - locally produced - next to some of the fruit or vegetables you will know that its very local indeed.

We can't thank those green fingered villagers enough for helping us offer such a varied and enticing range of fruit and vegetables for sale.

The eagle eyed amongst you may of noticed the lack of artisan breads on sale in the shop this week.  Sadly and after much discussion we have decided that Honesty Bread just isn't right for us.  Whilst lovely if bought and eaten on the day of delivery, we've found it doesn't last well and this has led to a good deal of waste.  That coupled with an imminent price increase has led us to make this decision. 

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We've been investigating alternatives, but so far a permanent solution hasn't been found.  At the moment we are buying in extra basic bread to cover the need and hope to have another solution soon.

Following encouragement from a regular Pantry customer we have entered the 2018 Plunkett Foundation Rural Community Ownership Awards.  The Rural Community Ownership Awards are 'an annual celebration of the achievements of rural community businesses in tackling rural issues across the UK'.

A few weeks ago a freelance journalist emailed the Pantry to ask if she could come and speak to us about the Pantry - how it came into being, its impact on the village and how we keep it going - for an article she had been commissioned to write for Hampshire Life.  So do pop into the Pantry and take a look at the resulting article which is by the counter.

The Pantry has recently been lucky to have some younger volunteers by way of the year 5 and 6 students from Braishfield Primary School.  Those of you who've popped in on a recent Tuesday afternoon will no doubt of been served by these brilliant youngsters.

They've been a pleasure to have in the Pantry.

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Well - look what was passed on to the team on Tuesday - some beautiful thank you cards from the children.  

It was the village school fete on the 30th June and the Pantry had a stall showing some of our stock and letting people know what we're about.  The weather was beautiful and the day full of fun.  And we sold a few bits too...

This week saw the installation of our new gift card store made locally in the village by one of our volunteers. It fits so well into the Pantry - very much looking like 'it had always been there'. 

We're once feeling so lucky to live in a village with such talented and helpful people. 

(This picture doesn't do it justice - do pop in and have a look).

UPDATE - all monies are now in and 88 tickets were sold with a further £294 made on the raffle alone - giving us a total of just over £700 profit to go towards the running of the Pantry.  

Thank you so much for supporting your community shop.

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This morning the Pantry kitchen was full of chatter - largely about the wonderful Royal wedding yesterday, but also a bit of 'I need some more brown buttered' and - 'who has the cheese?', - and 'ooh those are lovely flowers'.  A group of wonderful ladies worked all morning making finger sandwiches, creating beautiful vases of flowers and cutting out pictures from the Sunday papers to make a collage of yesterday's wedding day.  All in preparation of this afternoon's tea party in celebration of the Royal Wedding.  

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Those last minute preparations really put the cherries on top of the cakes - the event went without a hitch.  The Village Hall was wonderfully decorated with bunting made by the children from Braishfield Primary School.  Tables were adorned with flags, confetti and flowers, and of-course the wonderful food.  Guest were treated to a lavish selection of sandwiches, scones and cakes, washed down with tea served in china cups.  After the first sing-along our Master of Ceremonies led us in a toast to the Royal couple with a glass of bubbly, then there was more yummy food and more singing.    

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I think it is safe to say a fun afternoon was had by all and no-one went home hungry!...

The Pantry has been buzzing recently and Friday was no exception when a group of about 20 cyclists descended on us for a pit stop of coffee and cake.  They were so pleased they sent us the following email to say thanks... 

'I thought you would like to hear that my fellow cyclists were very enthusiastic about our visit to the Pantry this morning.  Everyone said how nice it was to be welcomed by your volunteers (they were tickled that one of you wanted to take our photograph) - and especially how good the cakes were.  I think repeat visits will follow!'

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Its lovely to see so many people making use of us.

Sadly our trusty coffee machine will no longer provide us with cappuccinos and lattes.  So we are trialling a new machine for the next week!  We're very excited but need your help to decide if it is the right machine for us.  If you get the chance do pop in and try a cup  we'd love to hear what you think.  

It was a slightly less than sunny day when the Pantry welcomed a group of artists and we received this lovely picture and email to say thank you...

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'Lovely welcome for a group of ladies who like to paint outside and drink tea! So nice that the pantry gave us the opportunity to paint under the canopy although we had planned to paint in the field area but the weather was grim!'

Come and help us celebrate the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle.  The Pantry is hosting an afternoon Tea on Sunday 20th May at 3pm.

Tickets are on sale now - so come an get yours from the Pantry (they're just £10).

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Just a little thank you to Sharon and her team of volunteers  - not to mention our wonderful suppliers for keeping the Pantry open as usual during the snow.  

And also thank you to you, our customers for coming out in your droves to support the shop.  You came to pick up your essentials, for yourselves or for those unable to get out and you popped in for a warm cuppa, a piece of cake and a natter.  The Pantry was buzzing.

Its at times like these the Pantry and village comes into its own - what a lovely community.

Join us at the Pantry on Wednesday 21st March for a wine and gin tasting evening that is sure to delight.  

There will be wines from our regular supplier - Berry Bros, and gins from a new supplier - Corner Fifty Three.

So do join us if you can - we'll be there from 5-8pm.

What's Level 3 Business Administration students have been using their business skills to come up with new and inventive ways to boost profitability and also attract new customers to the Pantry.   

Is there someone special in your life?  This Valentines why not cook your special someone a lovely meal - we have yummy fishcakes and veg/salad, or maybe a nice ready prepared meal - we stock some lovely options from our supplier - Austwicks.  And how about a nice bottle of something to go with your meal - we can help there too with a great range of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. 

Perhaps just a little something to say how much you care is more your thing - what about a beautiful hand decorated biscuit from our supplier - Little Bee Bakery?  

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The figures are in - and December 2017 was the Pantry's best trading month ever.  

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Thank you so much to all our customers and suppliers for your support. 

Did the Pantry supply you with any Christmas goodies?  Where they as lovely as hoped?  Did we disappoint in any way?  We'd love to hear from you so that next Christmas we can do even better.

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And don't forget us during 2018 - we need you to continue to make the shop a success.

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The eagle eyed amongst you may of noticed some of our prices have gone up this month.

The Pantry always tries to resist putting prices up, to give the best possible price and value to our customers.  But with butter and milk having risen more and more over recent months we have sadly had to take the decision to put up the prices of those items in order to cover our costs.  We have also put up the price of those cafe items that use significant quantities of milk or butter. 

However, we hope you will agree that they still offer great value for money.

Unfortunately it would appear that our regular bread supply is no longer in business.  As bread is one of our key daily essentials a lot of work has been carried out behind the scenes to find a new bread supplier.  Not as easy a task as you might think - suppliers either weren't able to deliver or the costs were too high.

However, after much chasing, the Pantry has managed to source not one but two new bread suppliers.  We have some 'run of the mill' bread sourced through our milk supplier, and have secured some artisan breads from a new supplier - Honesty Bakery - based in Newbury.

The new artisan breads will be in the shop tomorrow (Thursday) - so do come in a try and we'd love to hear what you think.

The updated plan is to have this artisan bread delivered Monday's and Thursday's.

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Thank you so much to all those of you who came out yesterday evening - the shop was buzzing.

Hopefully people felt the shop has a good range of Christmas stock (without loosing site of those everyday essentials).  We've tried to cater for a range of price brackets but whilst also - where possible - keeping it local.

One such area where we are 'keeping it local' is with our new chocolate supplier - ChooseChocolate who are based in Chandlers Ford - and received nothing but praise from those lucky enough to taste some.

The savoury nibbles were also largely locally sourced - do speak with Sharon if any particularly took your fancy and she can direct to you the stock.

And another bit hit was the blind wine tasting.  There was no outright winner and no-one guessed all the wine correctly.  The winner will thus be drawn from a hat of those who scored highest.  We'll keep you posted...

Having been so pleased with their choice of the Braishfield Pantry for their cycle pit stop one of the group sent through this lovely email and photo....

'Thanks for looking after us just before lunch today when we descended on you. We certainly enjoyed the cake and tea and coffee. 

We wish the Community Shop and Cafe every success and I’m sure we will be back again. 

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Thank again, members of Southampton CTC'

Do join us at the Pantry on Wednesday 15th November for an evening of tempting goodies including:

Chocolates from our new supplier to sample, stollen and mince pies to nibble; local wines to try; a free chocolate for every child and much, much more.

So do pop along and support your local community shop.  

WOW..... another nomination this time Countryside alliance awards.

Thank you to whomever nominated us - we are honoured.  Do take a look at the website and find out what the awards, known as the 'Rural Oscars', are all about.

Next Saturday (14th October) the Braishfield Pantry will be supporting the Romsey Business Fair.  This free event taking place at Crosfield Hall is aimed at showcasing Romsey's wide ranging businesses

So if you are free - do come along.

But don't worry - the Pantry will be open as usual as well!  

Last night, Braishfield Pantry Community Shop and Cafe won the 'Doing Business Locally' award at the 2017 Test Valley Business Awards' event.  There were a record 172 entries overall and 37 businesses in our category, 

Braishfield Pantry's support of local suppliers and producers and contributions to rural enterprise and a vibrant community life were recognised.  So, to all our wonderful volunteers and customers (whether you are Braishfield residents, extended family members or our friends and supporters from further afield), we say, "Thank you once again for being a key part of a village success story."

Do you have pre-school aged children?  Are you looking for something to do on a Thursday morning?  Then why not pop into the Pantry?  You can enjoy a browse, or a coffee and a slice of cake , whilst your little ones enjoy a story with Wendy.

The Pantry is up for another award.  This time the Test Valley Business Awards in the 'Doing Business Locally' category.  This is fantastic news for our little community shop.

The Test Valley Business Awards had more than 170 entries from businesses across the Test Valley, making this year's awards the most popular since the initiative began in 2004!  

And the Pantry is one of the 18 finalists!

The awards dinner is on the 14th September - we'll keep you posted on how the Pantry does...

The Pantry is going all French for a week in celebration of Bastille Day on Thursday 14th July. 

There is plenty of special French produce in store for one week only, so come and see what the Pantry has on offer.

Regular volunteers, Rosie, Sue and Mike on an already busy Thursday fed and watered a group of keen motor-cyclists at the shop this week.

David Butterfield (white T shirt) and friends enjoyed refreshments during their motorbike tour of Hampshire and Wiltshire.

It was lovely to see former Braishfield resident, David, back in the village. He, along with many others, was instrumental in raising funds to build our village hall a few years back.  Today the family connection continues with David's daughter,Charlotte leading the weekly Brownies' meeting at the hall.

Looking forward to seeing you all again soon, David and co... oh, and great bikes too!

Many thanks to Roy Bayntum and his brilliant team of Community First Responders & St. Johns Ambulance colleagues who led a most entertaining and informative 'HeartStart' training session based at the Hall and Shop on Monday 12th June.

Roy's group has been the chosen charity in the shop for the past year.  Thank you to all our lovely customers and volunteers who have raised over £130 so far to help ensure support arrives swiftly in instances of medical emergencies in our locality.

Contrary to photographic evidence, it can be confirmed that no members of the public were harmed during the evening!

We all learned so much and are pleased that Roy will be happy to run further courses in the future for interested groups.

Please contact Anne at the shop for further information.

On Thursday 23rd November 2016 the Braishfield Pantry became the very proud winners of the Best Independent Food Shop of the Year Hampshire Life Magazine food and drink at the Hampshire Life magazine Food and Drink event held at The Elvetham Hotel near Hook. 

This is a fantastic achievement and is a testament to the hard work by all those involved in the shop.

The Braishfield Pantry is very proud to announce the arrival of our long awaited Braishfield Banger.  

The Pantry has teamed up with a local supplier to produce our very own "Braishfield Banger".  The honey and mustard pork sausages have been produced by Greenfield Pork in Andover just for us. 

So why not pop in and try for yourself - we think they are super.