insideKENT Magazine Issue 49 - April 2016 | Page 47
FOOD+DRINK
Chegworth Valley
FARM FRESH ORGANIC PRODUCE DELIVERED DAILY TO YOUR DOOR
Chegworth Valley is a family owned and run farm established in 1983 by the Deme family.
Having bought the farm from the Leeds Castle estate, with it formerly housing their dairy
herd, the land was rich and fertile and lent itself perfectly for growing produce.
To start, apple and pear
orchards were planted
and today over 20
varieties of apples and
pears are grown on the
farm, including Cox,
Egremont Russet and
Spartan as well as
unusual varieties such
as Crimson Crisp, Boskoop Rouge and Red Topaz. This continues to be
the farm’s speciality with the new season apples being much anticipated.
With two London shops of their
own and many restaurants and
delis throughout London and the
South East taking daily deliveries
of produce from the farm, it
seemed only natural to offer home
delivery. In 2014 Chegworth
Valley’s box scheme with a
difference was launched. This now
covers the majority of London and
Kent offering next day delivery of
fresh produce, juices and selected
whole foods. The service is fully
flexible and gives the option of
ordering a fruit, vegetable and/or
salad box with set contents that
change weekly with the seasons,
or to choose all of your own items,
just like a normal grocery shop.
An award-winning range of farm-pressed juice is made on site using only
the best hand-selected apples blended with strawberries, raspberries,
rhubarb and beetroot to name just a few. This year Chegworth Valley once
again won Kent Juice Producer of the Year at the Taste of Kent Awards.
Much of the fruit used in the juices is grown on the home farm, which is
certified organic by the Soil Association. In recent years, the farm has
diversified hugely and now over 70 lines of produce are grown on site,
including soft fruits, vegetables and salad leaves. The farm itself is very
unusual as it is rare to see such a wide range of produce grown by one
farm – often a farm will specialise in just a few specific varieties.
There are no set delivery days and
no subscriptions. Simply place an
order by 2.30pm, it is then picked
and packed in the afternoon and
delivered fresh to your door the
next morning. By working directly
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with a selection of UK and Spanish
partner farms, Chegworth Valley
are able offer the best quality
seasonal produce year round.
Orders from the partner farms are
picked to order and delivered
directly to the farm, meaning no
unnecessary food miles or time
spent waiting in wholesale markets.
The farm will be hosting its annual
open day on Sunday 5th June
2016, giving visitors the chance to
see behind the scenes at the farm
as part of Open Farm Sunday.
For more information or to buy
online, visit
www.chegworthvalley.com
or call the farm direct on
01622 859272.