Fordingbridge new farm shop to host musical nights and street food markets

A FAMILY-RUN farm shop and café featuring a Mediterranean-style courtyard has been opened by a Fordingbridge couple who plan on hosting music nights and a street food market there.

Situated in Whitsbury Road, the Fordingbridge Farm Shop has been taken over by locals Neil and Corinna Rogers, who have promised to “breathe new life” into the site.

The couple says they want to “transform” the premises – which has lain vacant for some time – into a “thriving retail and entertainment hub” for the local area.

Neil has given up his job in the aeronautical engineering industry to focus on the couples’ new venture.

He said: “We have plans to host music sessions, street food markets, barbecue burger nights, a Friday and Saturday evening bar, alongside offering cooked breakfasts, locally sourced food, award-winning pies and freshly baked bread.

“We plan to have a high-quality butcher, too.”

A secured children’s outdoor play area is also being created at the site.

Neil said: “Fordingbridge, which has a population of just under 5,000, has been crying out for something like this on the north side of the settlement, away from the high street and catering for all ages at different times of the day.

“Along with working families, including school-run parents, there are retirees who will enjoy the courtyard experience and the convenience of a shop with daily essentials without having to trek or drive into town.”

Corinna, a physiotherapist, said: “We are expecting the courtyard festoon lights any day now, making great memories as customers chat, eat, drink and dance evenings away.

“During the pandemic, we used to walk past the farm shop as it was being constructed, and always remarked: ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could be in there one day’.”

The couple says they “did not hang around” when they spotted a to let sign at the site.