Out & About Summer 2021

FOOD & DRINK - HONESTY ROMILLA ARBER is excited about the prospect of a warm and ‘open’ summer and the choice of Honesty cafés to visit in the area continues to expand

S ummer is here although to look out of the window it is difficult to believe that summer actually exists as a season. The longest day will soon be upon us and I am sure that by then we will have felt the warm kiss of the sun. Confidence is high, despite the worries of the variants, and most people seem to be making the most of the return of freedom and how we will cherish this freedom going forward. Here at Honesty we faced a real challenge getting all of our sites open again. It is hard enough opening one site, but to manage 12 in one hit was a gargantuan task and I am immensely proud of my staff for the effort and the commitment they showed. There have been challenges with getting staff back into work mode after such a long time on furlough, but this is not surprising. The greatest challenge has been finding staff to fill vacancies and I know that all of hospitality is struggling in this regard. If you are occasionally left waiting longer than usual in shops and cafés, this might be the explanation. We business owners would prefer to be serving customers rather than leaving them waiting. It isn’t because we are cutting costs, there is just a dearth of staff at the moment.

The end of lockdowns and the beginning of summer causes a yearning in us all to get outside and to socialise. We are planning lots of events at our venues, such as a live music night at our Herongate site, a country fayre on September 4 at Saddleback Farm Shop and a garden party at the Crown and Garter. Our Friday night wine bar has reopened at our shop in Overton and this is hugely popular in the village. Since I last wrote here we have opened a pop-up café in Beale Wildlife Park in the beautiful pavilion building. It truly is a fabulous location. We are also very excited about the opening of our new café and grocery over at Dummer Down Farm near Basingstoke. This should be opening around the third week in June. We continue to work on our recipes, developing new cakes, breads and dishes to serve to our customers. We remain committed to sourcing local produce wherever possible and working closely with our suppliers to form enduring partnerships. Look out for and enjoy local rare breed beef in our restaurants and cafés, local asparagus, watercress and radishes. By supporting us you support local, independent businesses that supply to us. A virtuous circle!

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O&A SUMMER 2021