At Bare Acre Farm, we’ve always believed in putting heart and soul into everything we do, whether it’s growing flowers, vegetables, baking bread, or crafting that perfect bouquet. When we started this journey back in late May 2022, We envisioned a peaceful, semi-retired life, tending to our little farm and serving a handful of customers each day. We had a romantic notion of sharing a bit of Ber’s baking, some of Dave’s organic vegetables, and maybe a few posies of flowers from the garden.

But as it turns out, our local community had other ideas!

To say we were unprepared for the response is an understatement. The Bare Acre Farm Shop quickly became a bustling hub of activity, and before we knew it, we were working harder than we ever did in our “working” lives. Not that we’re complaining—nothing brings us more joy than seeing happy faces leave the shop, arms full of fresh produce, homemade goodies, and flowers. However, after two years of this delightful whirlwind, our sixty-year-old selves have started to notice that we don’t quite have the same energy we did a couple of years ago. Our hearts are still in it 100%, but our knees, backs, and other creaky bits are occasionally raising objections! As much as we hate to admit it, we’re not as young as we used to be. While we still feel energetic and passionate about what we do, our bodies are occasionally reminding us that we’re not invincible. But here’s the thing—wisdom really does come with age. We’ve learned that to keep doing what we love for as long as possible, we need to take care of ourselves too.

A New Plan for Bare Acre Farm

To keep delivering the best service and products to our wonderful customers, we need to make changes. While it’s taken us two years to arrive at this decision, we’re excited to announce that starting September 2, 2024, we’ll be tweaking our hours of operation.

The farm will continue to operate six and a half days a week, but the shop will only be open to the public from Thursday to Sunday. That’s right—Thursdays through Sundays will be your prime time to get your hands on Ber’s famous Guinness Treacle Bread, scones, jams, cakes, Dave’s organic vegetables, and Robert’s stunning floral arrangements.

While we’ll be here working hard behind the scenes all week, these four days will be when our doors are open, and our smiles brightest, ready to welcome you with all the goodness you’ve come to expect from Bare Acre.

By adjusting our schedule, we’ll have more time to rest, reflect, and yes, even enjoy a bit of that peaceful retirement we initially imagined. We will have time to spend with family, Ber will have time for her art and Dave may even finish his next book.  But more importantly, we’ll be able to focus on improving and expanding the products and services we offer you our dear customers. It’s about working smarter, not harder—so that we can continue to bring you the very best the Bare Acre has to offer without burning out.

What’s Next?

We know change can sometimes be unsettling, but we want to reassure you that our commitment to quality and service remains as strong as ever. While our hours are decreasing, our passion and dedication are not. In fact, we’re bursting with excitement about what the future holds.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be announcing some exciting new additions to our services, and we can’t wait to share them with you. We’ve listened to you, who have never been shy about telling us what you want and we’ve been busy behind the scenes, experimenting, perfecting, and planning—and we think you’re going to love what’s coming next.

We’re talking about new flavours, new products, and a few surprises that we’ve been keeping up our sleeves. So, watch this space!

And don’t forget, if you can’t make it to the farm shop during our new opening hours, most of our products are available online. Whether you need flowers for that special someone or find yourself in dire need of Bare Acre Chilli Jam, we’ve got you covered. Just hop onto our website, place your order, and we’ll take care of the rest.

A Heartfelt Thank You

Before we sign off, we want to say a massive thank you to all of you—our amazing customers and friends. Your support over the last two years has meant the world to us. You’ve turned what was meant to be a quiet retirement project into something far more meaningful. Bare Acre has become a community, and we’re so grateful to be at the centre of that.

We look forward to continuing this journey with you, albeit at a slightly more leisurely pace. So here’s to working less, getting more done, and savoring every moment—both on the farm and off.

With warmest regards,

Ber & Dave
Bare Acre Farm & Farm Shop