Christmas Shopping

I have a very low threshold for shopping, but I do love food and Christmas is a great excuse to indulge that. One of our favourite places is Plaw Hatch which is part of the Tablehurst biodynamic family of farms in Forest Row. The veg, meat, and cheese is all of such tremendous quality and ultra-high-welfare: basically it’s the most regenerative way to produce food as the whole farm is seen as an integrated ecosystem. There is also an amazing coffee shop in a repurposed horse trailer…

Look at this adorable little scene!

Then, a walk on Ashdown Forest which the dogs just love. It is one of the first places we visited when we moved to Sussex, and when the mud here in Hellingly gets unbearable then the Forest is reliably mud-free, or at least easily navigated. The cool palette of greys greens and browns is so calming, with bright splashes of yellow from coconut-scented gorse.

Finally, we called in at Tunbridge Wells, one of the few places I actually enjoy proper shop-shopping. Trevor Mottram and Le Petit Jardin, and a quick look in the Italian deli round the corner.

Are you all finished with your festive preparations? I am making my Christmas cake on Monday as I need some dried pears, but I found some great presents in Tunbridge Wells so that was brilliant.