Shop of the year finalist

Apley Farm Shop is Shop of the Year finalist. This is a very coveted award offered annually by the Guild of Fine Foods. We are unbelievably thrilled to be a finalist. Click HERE to watch again the film we submitted with our application, made for us by A Decent Exposure Photography.

Here’s our press release with more detail:

A local farm shop in Shropshire has been nominated as a finalist for a prestigious national award.

Apley Farm Shop, between Bridgnorth & Telford, entered for The Shop of the Year Award back in October & recently heard the great news that they’ve been selected as a finalist. The award is much coveted award amongst the UK’s top farm shops, offered annually by the Guild of Fine Foods.

Apley Farm Shop has entered the farmer owned farm shop category. There are five other award categories: Delicatessen & Grocer; Specialist Cheese Shop; Food Hall; Specialist food or drink shop; Newcomer. So the reach is broad across the food industry.

There are now over 300 farm shops across the UK which are now accounting for more & more grocery sales than ever before as customers seek local produce with provenance.

Judging for the award began in November and continues through to March when results will be announced.

General Manager John Wesley began “Our team of local staff are incredibly hard working and very committed to seeing the success of Apley Farm Shop. We would all be so proud to win this, but just being nominated as a finalist is wonderful in itself. We’ve now been open for nearly 8 years, so it’s super to see our hard work paying off as the business matures.“

Lord Hamilton, Apley Estate owner, added “We won the FARMA rising star award soon after opening in 2011 and have won many Greta Taste awards in the intervening years, notably for our hand-made mince pies, but this Shop of the Year award is the most prestigious as it looks at the whole business.

Lady Hamilton added “The Guild of Fine Foods was set up in 1995 to support & encourage artisan food producers & the retail outlets where their produce is sold. We fall into both groups as we sell our own produce as well as that of others.”