Show Background
  WANT TO SEE OUR LAVENDER? It will be in flower from the end of June! Click here for tour dates!
Menu
Notice: Undefined variable: image_id in /var/www/vhosts/hopshop.co.uk/httpdocs/wp-content/themes/HopShop/partials/page-title.php on line 16

    • Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year

      Posted on 18th July 2017 by

      laoty_2017_logo

      Landscape Artist of the Year 2017 by Sky Arts will be filming at The Hop Shop, Castle Farm on Tuesday 18th July! The selected artists will be competing in the semi-finals of the series by painting our beautiful Lavender fields in full bloom across the Darenth Valley. You are welcome to […]

      Read More

    • Introducing our new Coffee Cart

      Posted on 3rd July 2017 by

      img_9336

      Introducing… The COFFEE Cart This year we have been busy lovingly converting an old Rice Horse Box into our band new Coffee Cart! Making a special appearance over the Summer months, The Coffee Cart will be offering freshly ground barista-made Coffees and speciality Hop Shop Teas – all for Take […]

      Read More

    • Watch our Lavender Season video

      Posted on 30th June 2017 by

      screen-shot-2017-06-30-at-09-44-33

      Get a feel for everything that happens at The Hop Shop on Castle Farm over the Kentish Lavender season with our little video… We hope to see you soon!

      Read More

    • The Red Tractor Scheme

      Posted on 27th April 2016 by

      Cattle Red Tractor

      It has been a long time since I sat an exam but I was reminded of that pre-exam tension feeling a couple of weeks ago, when Alan came to visit the farm. Alan was a representative from the Red Tractor Assurance Scheme and had come to examine how our farm […]

      Read More

    • GIVEAWAY! Win our Luxury Sleepy Hamper worth over £60!

      Posted on 2nd December 2015 by

      HS GIveaway

      To celebrate our online shopping this Christmas, we are giving you the opportunity to win the gift of sleep – with one of our Luxury Sleepy Hampers! The prize includes a hamper packed full of natural sleep and pampering gifts, including; Lavender flowers Hop flowers 100ml Kentish Lavender Bath Oil […]

      Read More

    • Latest newsletter – Christmas gifts, decoration inspiration and news

      Posted on 21st November 2015 by

      Hopshop_098_0596

      Simply click here to see our most recent newsletter – gift ideas, wreath making courses and Christmas meat ordering. Christmas 2015 Newsletter

      Read More

    • Castle Farm Pumpkins in season!

      Posted on 22nd September 2015 by

      Pumpkins

      Our range of delicious pumpkins are now available at the shop. So many rare and wonderful varieties to choose from – plus pick up a recipe leaflet in the shop for cooking inspiration.

      Read More

    • Lavender Honey now availble!

      Posted on 22nd September 2015 by

      IMG_8610

      Our beautifully smooth lavender honey is now available in the shop – only while stocks last! It is very popular with locals who use the lavender to help with hayfever.

      Read More

    • Hop Season is here!

      Posted on 10th August 2015 by

      IMG_7637

      It’s nearly hop season! Our hop garden looking lovely this morning. We used to grow for brewing, but now all our hops are grown specifically for interior decoration. Pre-order online now!

      Read More

    • The perfect nights’ sleep..

      Posted on 10th August 2015 by

      IMG_7730

      All you need when its time for sleep. Our unique formula of Kentish lavender and hops to relax and help you drift off to a restful sleep. A cup of Sleepy Tea, some Sleepy Scent on a tissue by your bed, or Sleepy Balm on the soles of your feet.. […]

      Read More

    • #Harvest15 underway!

      Posted on 10th August 2015 by

      IMG_7729

       This piece of equipment has been doing lots of long days and late nights! Summer harvest is well and truly underway on Castle Farm and we are also busy preparing the ground for next years crop. No rest in a farmers world!

      Read More

    • Our Lavender Harvester is in full swing!

      Posted on 29th July 2015 by

      TA036_8019

      We have been busy cutting our lavender fields while the sun shines and in-between rain showers! Our distillery has been working overtime to get through the trailers of lavender, extracting the oil which will be used in aromatherapy and toiletries. The smell is incredible! Check out our Facebook, Instagram and […]

      Read More

    • Kentish Cherries now available!

      Posted on 11th July 2015 by

      Cherries

      Fresh Kentish cherries now in the shop! Grown by our friends down in Yalding… They really are delicious! Careful of roadside sellers as they are often Spanish cherries.. These are authentic Kent farm-grown cherries!

      Read More

    • A purple valley – Lavender in bloom

      Posted on 7th July 2015 by

      photo

      The Darenth Valley is looking beautiful as our lavender fields come into full flower! We have already been cutting for bunches, and now we are waiting for the flowers to be at optimum oil capacity before harvesting. Don’t miss out – come and visit before the crop is cut! You […]

      Read More

    • Fresh Lavender bunches now being cut

      Posted on 24th June 2015 by

      TA157_0820

      Our gorgeous lavenders have started to bloom, and fresh bunches are being cut daily and are available from the shop. £2.75 each or 4 for £10.00.

      Read More

    • New Season Kentish Strawberries

      Posted on 25th May 2015 by

      TA155_2035

      Now in stock! Very pleased to have the first of the Kent season strawberries now in the shop. From the same farm that supply Wimbledon Tennis! Come and pick up a punnet.

      Read More

    • Kentish Asparagus now in stock

      Posted on 17th May 2015 by

      Asparagus

      We now have plenty of delicious local asparagus now in The Hop Shop! Grown locally at a farm down the road, asparagus is a great addition to your Spring Summer dishes. For the best results, wash the stems thoroughly in a sink full of cold water. Then trim the stalks […]

      Read More

    • FARMING NOTES: January 2015

      Posted on 30th January 2015 by

      10460906_758102384263835_8930139034529222105_o

      Every month, Farmer William writes a feature for the Shoreham Gazette on what has been happening around the farm and in the world of agriculture; here’s his notes from January 2015. A Letter from (Outback) Australia….. I have great respect for the fencing skills of Australian stock farmers. Their fences […]

      Read More

    • Christmas shopping on the farm

      Posted on 3rd December 2014 by

      Christmas Tractor Lights

      We have plenty of parking, no shopping centre crowds, and a treasure trove of beautiful gifts for you to choose from for family and friends. You can even  pick your own hampers in the shop from our wide range of baskets and products and we’ll gift wrap them for you […]

      Read More

    • Pumpkins Galore!

      Posted on 11th September 2014 by

      TA044_9916

      Our home-grown pumpkins are now in season! Come down to the farm and have a look at our range… the various varieties are slowly coming into season (some ripen later), but we usually have a range of shapes and sizes from the tasty little ‘rolet’ that can be baked whole, […]

      Read More

    • PYO Apples – and enjoy the view!

      Posted on 28th August 2014 by

      Apples_003

      We are happy to announce that our delicious Norfolk Royal Apples will be ready to eat from Friday 5th September. We are the only registered Norfolk Royal orchard in the world – so come down and try what a real apple tastes like! Norfolk Royals are beautiful, big red, sweet, […]

      Read More

    • Fresh hop bines looking beautiful

      Posted on 21st August 2014 by

      _TA_1320

      Our new season Fresh Hop Bines have just been put up in the shop – and they smell and look glorious! The big 3m long bines are grown in specialist Hop Gardens here on Castle Farm in extra-wide rows to encourage bushy foliage and lots of hop flowers. When used […]

      Read More

    • Producer Profile – Wheatsheaves and Stooks

      Posted on 21st August 2014 by

      _TA_1517

      With harvest festivals coming up across the country, we are busy hand-making beautiful Wheatstooks and Wheatsheaves from our green or golden wheat. Traditional symbols of the countryside, our stooks are free-standing arrangements of spiralled stalks of wheat. The sheaves are flat-backed displays designed to be hung on a wall. Both […]

      Read More

    • Kentish Hop Season is upon us!

      Posted on 5th August 2014 by

      Hops

      Now the last of our Lavender fields have been harvested.. our minds start to turn to wonderful Kentish Hop Bines! You can pre order now – our Fresh Hop Bines will be available in the shop and for mail order despatch across the UK from Monday 18th August, and our […]

      Read More

    • Our Lavender harvester in The Times

      Posted on 25th July 2014 by

      10428543_680220238718717_5269671392099388765_n

      Did you see us in The Times?! Farmers son photographer Thomas Alexander took a stunning photo of the lavender harvester in full action as it started cutting the first field of Lavender in July. We are very lucky to have Thomas on hand with his camera – if you like […]

      Read More

    • Cherries now in the shop!

      Posted on 1st July 2014 by

      IMG_6902

      Producer Profile – Cherries from Court Lodge Farm We have always been so happy that we can get our cherries from Doug Worley – he really does produce the sweetest, plumpest and tastiest Kentish cherries down on his farm in Yalding! Having grown cherries in the family for generations, Doug […]

      Read More

    • The Hop Shop Sweet Collection

      Posted on 1st July 2014 by

      photo(2)

      If you have a sweet tooth, then you will be a fan of our newest products… The Hop Shop Sweet Collection – a delightful selection of old school favourites from liquorice wheels to Bon Bons and Jelly Babies. There is a great little display in store now, and they’re a […]

      Read More

    • Tweet Time!

      Posted on 28th June 2014 by

      Summer_135

      Taking over Twitter Farmer William will be making a guest appearance on the popular @farmersoftheUK Twitter handle from 30th June – 6th July. The account features a ‘week in the life’ of a different farmer every 7 days – from sheep farmers in the Highlands to crop farmers in Norfolk. […]

      Read More

    • June news from the Farm

      Posted on 15th June 2014 by

      4f265252-680c-4ae1-bf67-5130018aa365

      Planting, weeding and preparing for harvest! We have certainly been kept busy down on the farm in the past few months. Not only have we had to look after and carefully hand-weed all our existing lavender fields, but we have added 65,000 new baby plants to the family! These new […]

      Read More