STAFF at a Somerset farm shop are celebrating once again this summer after being awarded not one but two Golds at this year’s Taste of the West Hospitality and Retail Awards (2023).
Rumwell Farm Shop received the prestigious Gold Awards in both the Farm Shop and Café/Tearoom categories – adding two more Taste of the West Golds to the six they have already won in 2023.
Anne Mitchell, Partner at the multi-award-winning business on the A38 between Taunton and Wellington said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have received these Gold Awards and would like to thank our exceptional staff, who we’re so proud of. Every single one of them has made this possible through their hard work and dedication to our business and our customers. Our Shop has also been named as a finalist in its category too.
“We received excellent feedback from the judge who visited our shop and commented: ‘This is an excellent farm shop that continues to grow. It has a superb café and a takeout service. Its bread and bakery products are outstanding; people travel miles for their doughnuts, it’s worth driving to and a real asset to Taunton, Somerset and the South West. A full-on food experience.’
“Feedback from the café visit included this quote from the judge: ‘This was a lovely experience, with great coffee to boot! A great value, lovely venue and great staff all coming together with delicious food and drink. A real asset to the town and, looking at the number of people at lunch, it was being enjoyed by many.’”
Taste of the West, established in 1991, is the regional food and drink trade organisation for the South West of England.
It rewards the region’s exceptional food and drink identity and works to develop the very best of the area’s industry.
Anne continued: “It’s been an exceptional year for us. Just last month we won eight new 2023 Taste of the West Awards for our homemade products including six category Golds and two of these products have gone forward to be judged in the champions section too.
“We won Golds for our Bakery-made sourdough loaf and rock cakes. Our Butchery took Golds for our beef burgers – featuring our own farm Angus beef – and our lamb burgers.
“We also won Gold for our gluten free bread, baked in our inhouse bespoke Gluten Free Kitchen, and our Countryman’s Pickle, made by our onsite Jam Kitchen team. To add to this, we were commended for a further two products – our Bakery’s Biscoff doughnut and our Deli’s chilli and spring onion Scotch egg.
“We now have two products going through to the championships – our gluten free bread and our Rumwell beef burger, using beef from our own farm. The champion winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in November. We’ve got everything crossed for these!”
Rumwell Farm Shop is an independent, family-run, award-winning business owned by the Mitchell family. It was originally a potato store, when David and Anne Mitchell began selling their potatoes and free-range eggs at the gate more than 25 years ago.
Due to customer demand, the range of products soon increased, and the Farm Shop grew into the place it is today. David and Anne’s sons, James and Jack, are now also involved in the business, as well as their wives, Sophie and Donna.
Rumwell Farm Shop also won nine Taste of the West Gold Awards in 2022 for its Shop and Café and also for some of its made onsite products. It was also a finalist in the Large Farm Shop of the Year category in the 2023 national Farm Retail Awards.
The Shop has a traditional Butchery counter selling its home-reared and free-range pork and Rumwell Angus beef. Its dry cured back bacon was given the title of overall Champion Bacon in the 2022 Taste of the West Awards too.
Also onsite is the new, purpose-built Rumwell Orchard events space, a Delicatessen, Bakery, Jam Kitchen, Food Hall, Wine Cellar, Gluten Free Kitchen, Food To Go service and Gift Room.
The food prepared in the Café kitchen is sourced from the Farm Shop, the Mitchell family farm, which is just four miles away, and other regional suppliers. The Café kitchen has Coeliac UK’s Gluten Free accreditation.
For more information, please call Rumwell Farm Shop on 01823 461599 or visit www.rumwellfarmshop.com.
