Week 51 entry for 52 weeks challenge.

Rainbow carrots for sale yesterday at Elveden Estate Shop, Suffolk (on the A11).

I love Elveden Estate Shop and we try to drop in every time we go to see my mother. The estate is certainly doing it’s best to diversify capitalise on it’s asses. When we were there yesterday morning it looked as if there was a shoot later in the day as all the beaters were gathering and being fed breakfast! And we dropped in again just before closing time yesterday evening when there was a bus-load of people descending on the place, I guess for carousel rides and a party.

The shop is actually a small complex of shops, but don’t expect the usual slightly scruffy farm shop. This is a high class estate shop and truly professional in everything they do. As one might expect they major on food, selling a wide variety of quality groceries (many produced by the Estate) and not always at high prices. There is also a small range of vegetables and some superb meat. Wherever possible the veg and meat is sourced from the Estate or the local area. Sadly on this visit, because we already have our Christmas meat arranged and weren’t certain to get to Elveden, we just picked up a couple of pheasants and some veg – so roast pheasant for dinner today followed by game terrine for Christmas! These rainbow carrots are really fresh, straight from the farm, and delightfully tasty.

As well as the “produce” shop there is a great coffee shop/restaurant (the best full English breakfast I think I’ve ever had), a small range of garden plants and a couple of gift shops. At this time of year there is always a stall or two of crafty things, plus Christmas trees from the Estate. And this year there was a carousel too!

If you’re in the area (and that isn’t so unlikely with a CentreParcs just down the road) Elveden Estate Shop should be on your “must visit” list, if only for coffee and cake. The shop is well back off the road in what was probably the old stable blocks; there are entrances from the A11 (almost opposite Elveden church) and the B1106. Don’t miss it!

More on the shop and the Estate.

Noreen also blogged last year about breakfast at Elveden.