This guide compares five Kent farm shops spread across the county: Gibson’s Farm Shop at Wingham near Canterbury, Quex Barn on the Quex Park Estate at Birchington in Thanet, Perry Court Farm on the A28 near Wye and Ashford, Farmer’s Farm Shop at Teston outside Maidstone, and Broadditch Farm Shop at Southfleet in north-west Kent. Each is a working family farm or sits on farmland, so the useful question is which shop has the food you need and where it was grown.
As a Londoner, I know it is not realistic for everyone to live on a farm. A farm shop, farmers' market or community garden can be part of a more direct food routine. Start with a reachable stop and a short list, rather than expecting to change everything at once.
Which farm shop or picking farm should you choose?
Kent is a long county, so start with where you live. In east Kent, Gibson’s at Wingham is an easy run from Canterbury and Sandwich, and Quex Barn serves Thanet, Margate and Herne Bay. Perry Court sits on the A28 between Ashford and Canterbury, handy for anyone near Wye, Chilham or the Romney Marsh side of Ashford. Farmer’s at Teston is just west of Maidstone on the Tonbridge Road, and Broadditch at Southfleet is closest for Gravesend, Dartford and the Sevenoaks side of the county. For a large shop with butchery from the family’s own livestock, Gibson’s stands out; for orchard fruit, Perry Court has the widest range.
If you want vegetables picked on the farm, Broadditch publishes a list of what it grows and when. Quex Barn is the choice for fresh fish, a bakery and a sit-down meal. Farmer’s Farm Shop suits a quieter stop for apples and seasonal produce from its own orchards, with a café attached.
Check the farm’s current crops, opening times and prices before travelling. Picking seasons vary, and a farm shop may sell produce without offering pick-your-own visits.
- Gibson’s Farm Shop , A Wingham family farm since 1970
- Quex Barn , Farm shop and restaurant near Birchington
- Perry Court Farm , Fermor family fruit farm near Wye
- Farmer’s Farm Shop , Teston orchards and farm shop since 1982
- Broadditch Farm Shop , Harris family farm at Southfleet since 1848
Gibson’s Farm Shop
Map and location
Gibson's Farm Shop, Crockshard Hill, Wingham, Canterbury CT3 1NY. View Gibson’s Farm Shop on the map.
Contact: 01227 720 262.
Four generations of farming at Little Crockshard
Bob and Win Gibson started the business in 1970 at Little Crockshard Farm, just outside Wingham, selling apples and pears from the farm directly to customers. Bob is a fourth-generation farmer, and the family still runs the business. Their grandson Jeff, who trained in agriculture and horticulture, has run the butchery since 2005 and looks after the farm’s cows, pigs and sheep, growing a large proportion of their feed. A purpose-built farm shop opened under the family name in summer 2010, planned by Andrew Gibson, and the range has grown from fruit to a full food shop.
The shop sells fresh fruit and vegetables, butchers’ meat, a deli, bakery, dairy, beers, wines and spirits, juices, jams, chutneys, tea, coffee and frozen food. A deli, bakery and drinks section were added in 2018. There is also a café, a florist and a garden centre selling Kent plants and logs, and Kent hampers can be bought online for click and collect or delivery. The family describes the shop as a storefront for Kent producers.
Visiting and buying
Gibson’s website lists the farm shop as open Monday to Saturday, 7am to 7pm, and Sunday, 9am to 6pm. The florist is open 9am to 5pm. The café hours are given differently on different pages of the site (9am to 5pm daily on the home page; 9am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 4pm on Sunday on the contact page), so check before planning a meal. Wingham is about seven miles east of Canterbury. Ask at the butchery counter which meat is from the family’s own animals.
Gibson’s Farm Shop: website and opening hours.
Quex Barn
Map and location
Quex Barn, Quex Park Estate, Birchington, Kent, CT7 0BB. View Quex Barn on the map.
Contact: 01843 846103.
A Kentish barn on the Quex Park Estate
Quex Barn has sold local produce for more than 15 years from a traditional Kentish barn on the historic Quex Park Estate, within two miles of the sea at Birchington. The shop describes itself as surrounded by some of the most fertile farmland in the Garden of England, and says its aim is to bring fresh local produce to local people. Its butchery notes that the business has reared its own pigs as well as buying from local farmers, and it was named Farm Shop of the Year in the Kent Life Food and Drink Awards 2019.
Inside are a butchery, a delicatessen, a bakery, fruit and vegetables and a florist. The in-house baker makes sourdough, brioche and wholewheat loaves, and a wet fish stall runs from Wednesday to Saturday. Most beef comes from Chandler and Dunn’s herd of Sussex cattle grazing the marshes near Sandwich and Ash, and Christmas turkeys come from John Howe’s family farm at Tenterden. There is a coffee shop and a restaurant serving breakfast and lunch.
Visiting and buying
Quex Barn’s website lists the farm shop and café as open Monday 9am to 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 5.30pm, and Sunday 9am to 5pm. The restaurant is open 9am to 3pm every day. Go Wednesday to Saturday if you want fresh fish. Quex Park is on the edge of Birchington, a short drive from Margate and Westgate. Ask which vegetables and meat are from the estate or nearby farms, as the range changes with the seasons.
Quex Barn: website and opening hours.
Perry Court Farm
Map and location
Perry Court Farm, Canterbury Road, Ashford, Kent TN25 4ES. View Perry Court Farm on the map.
Contact: 01233 812302.
Over 200 apple and pear varieties grown
Lionel and Jessie Fermor bought Perry Court in 1951, first growing strawberries and rearing pigs. Their son Martin and his wife Heidi moved away from supplying supermarkets, sold at farmers’ markets from the late 1990s and grew the shop from an honesty box at the gate to a converted oast house. The farm covers about 800 acres, with roughly 55 acres of apples, 32 of pears, 30 of cherries, strawberries in tunnels, 42 acres of vegetables, potatoes and asparagus. Over 200 apple and pear varieties are grown. The family also keeps Southdown sheep and Berkshire and Oxford Sandy and Black pigs, and planted a vineyard in 2022.
The shop describes itself as a real farm shop, with home-grown fruit and vegetables, home-pressed juice, a meat counter, a British cheese room, deli meats, Kent wines, chutneys, hampers, plants and a refill station. Bread comes daily from Davies bakery in Ashford and Wilmshurst bakery in Wingham, with sourdough from Dockers and bakes from Gilda Bakery on set days. The tearoom serves home-baked cakes, scones and lunches.
Visiting and buying
Perry Court’s website says the farm shop and tearoom are open 8am to 6pm, seven days a week. The farm is on the A28 between the two turnings for Wye, a few miles north-east of Ashford on the road to Canterbury. Visit in late summer and autumn for the widest choice of apples and pears; the family runs an annual Apple Fayre. Ask which fruit, vegetables and lamb are from the farm on the day you visit.
Perry Court Farm: website and opening hours.
Farmer’s Farm Shop
Map and location
Farmer's Farm Shop, Little Court Lodge Farm, Tonbridge Road, Teston, Maidstone, Kent ME18 5BY. View Farmer’s Farm Shop on the map.
Contact: 01622 813080.
From runner beans to orchard apples at Teston
Denise and Chris Farmer bought Little Court Lodge Farm at Teston in 1982, when it was badly neglected, and spent years restoring it as a working farm. They grew market-garden crops, including early runner beans, strawberries, tomatoes and salads, for the London markets, and the business began by selling runner beans from a small stable block. The 1987 storm destroyed their glasshouse and uprooted orchards. Weak market returns led them to sell from the farm gate, and that stall grew into the shop. Their son Dave, who joined in 2015, now manages the shop and farm with his wife Hayley.
The shop sells apples from the farm’s own orchards, including Gala, Spartan, Cox and Elstar, alongside fruit, vegetables, salads and potatoes and goods from other local growers. There is meat and poultry, bread from Mrs Sourdough and Plaxtol Bakery, cakes from Jo Jo’s Cupcakes and Hannah’s Bakes & Cakes, Kent honey, jams, chutneys, local chocolates, Kentish pies and Salcombe Dairy ice cream. A café is on site, and Pete’s fish van calls on Thursdays.
Visiting and buying
The website lists the farm shop as open 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 5pm on Sunday, with the café open 9am to 4pm seven days a week. Pete’s fish van is there on Thursdays from 9.30am to 2.30pm. Teston is a few miles west of Maidstone on the Tonbridge Road. Pick-your-own strawberries and raspberries have been part of the farm’s history, so ask in summer what is available, and ask which produce is from the farm itself.
Farmer’s Farm Shop: website and opening hours.
Broadditch Farm Shop
Map and location
Broadditch Farm Shop, Manor Farm, New Barn Road, Southfleet, Kent, DA13 9PU. View Broadditch Farm Shop on the map.
Contact: 01474 834161.
Six generations of the Harris family farming
The Harris family moved to Southfleet from Bedfordshire in 1848 and have farmed the 470-acre site for more than 170 years. Brothers John and Mark are the sixth generation to run it. The farm once grew hops, apples and vegetables and raised beef cattle; today it is mainly arable, with wheat, barley, oilseed rape, oats and linseed, plus about five acres of vegetables for the shop. The home-grown list includes asparagus, beetroot, Brussels sprouts and tops, courgettes, curly kale, marrows, pumpkins and squash, rhubarb, sweetcorn and cobnuts.
Alongside its own seasonal produce, the shop sells meat, cheese, eggs, bread and cakes, with gluten-free and vegan options. Named suppliers include Glovers Farm for lamb, pork and bacon, Barradale eggs, Curd & Cure cheese and deli items, Mia’s Bread, Mrs Sourdough, Country Cakes, Kentish Mayde and Real Pies, Simply Ice Cream and The Wooden Spoon jams. Kent drinks come from Meopham Valley Vineyard, Copper Rivet, Wise Owl Cider and Iron Pier Brewery.
Visiting and buying
Broadditch’s website lists opening hours as Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm, and Sunday, 10am to 4pm. There is ample parking, disabled access and a toilet, and a picnic area by the pond. The website publishes a guide to harvesting times, so check it before visiting for asparagus or pumpkins. The farm also holds seasonal events such as cobnut picking and Halloween pumpkins. Southfleet is a few miles south of Gravesend and handy for Dartford and the A2.
Broadditch Farm Shop: website and opening hours.
Knowing a farm shop you can return to is also one of the most practical ways to be ready for disruption. Read The Be Ready Campaign: A UK Guide to Stocking Your Home With Healthy, Local Food, and use the Be Ready Map to find more local food across the UK.
Plan your farm visit, produce, quantities and picking dates
Choose one or two farms or farm shops that fit your route. Write down what you want, how much you need and what you will do with it when you get home. If one crop is unavailable, decide whether to choose a different farm, change the meal or return another day.
- Confirm the crop, public opening and any booking requirement.
- Ask whether you can pick yourself or buy already picked.
- Check the price unit, payment method and containers.
- Ask about access, parking and the correct visitor entrance.
Farm shop and fruit-picking questions
Where can I buy local food in Kent?
Good Kent farm shops include Gibson’s Farm Shop at Wingham near Canterbury, Quex Barn at Birchington in Thanet, Perry Court Farm near Wye and Ashford, Farmer’s Farm Shop at Teston near Maidstone, and Broadditch Farm Shop at Southfleet in north-west Kent.
Are all these farms in the same town?
No. Kent covers a wide area, and this guide spreads its choices across the county. Each farm section gives its location so you can compare the journey before you set off.
Can I pick at every farm or market?
No. Farm shops and markets may sell ready-picked food without opening fields to visitors. Ask the individual business about picking access, the crop and any booking requirement.
Plan your farm shopping with My Shopping List and Harvest Checker
Open My Shopping List to record produce, quantities and estimated costs. Mark items as bought when you collect them and keep the plan for your next trip.
Use Harvest Checker after a grower gives you a picking window. Enter those dates and compare them with your visit date. The tool uses your entries; it does not fetch live availability from farms.
My Shopping List
Keep the produce you actually need in one place before you set off.
Use My Shopping ListHarvest Checker
Compare your visit with dates confirmed by the grower. This does not check live stock.
Use Harvest CheckerUse the tools with your My Ideal World account. Guest and free-account limits apply; paid members have unlimited tool access.
Explore more farm shops and picking farms in My Ideal World. Browse the Farm Shops app below or beside this article, then check the grower’s current crop and opening before visiting.
Sources
- Gibson’s Farm Shop , Our story
- Gibson’s Farm Shop , Contact and opening hours
- Quex Barn , Official website
- Quex Barn , Butchery
- Quex Barn , Visit Kent
- Perry Court Farm , About
- Perry Court Farm , The shop and tearoom
- Farmer’s Farm Shop , Our story
- Farmer’s Farm Shop , Opening hours
- Broadditch Farm Shop , Our farm
- Broadditch Farm Shop , Farm shop
- Broadditch Farm Shop , Our veg
Research reviewed 25 October 2026. Farm and visitor sources support the descriptions above. Historical information is identified where relevant; no firsthand visit, current stock check or certification is claimed.