THE new Thorne's Farm Shop has been open for one year and will be celebrating it's first birthday on Saturday July 2 and Sunday July 3, when customers are invited for tea and coffee, a barbeque, local produce tasting and face painting.

The original farm shop was a small building on the end of the packhouse, which was used as a shop for 17 years before the new building was erected at Hawthorne Gardens, Stockleigh Pomeroy on the road to Cheriton Fitzpaine.

Owner, Anthony Thorne and wife Carey stock a range of different crops in the shop including garlic, carrots, parsnips, onions, shallots and fresh-picked peas.

They started growing strawberries on the site in 1986 and the business has since developed to cover a wide range of soft fruit and vegetables.

The butchery is run by Graham Sanders, who has over 30 years' experience is helped by wife, Bev, who works in the delicatessen several days a week.

The butchery stocks a range of home-reared pedigree Shorthorn beef and locally sourced lamb, pork and free range chicken as well as home-made sausages, burgers pies and pasties. Graham also stocks delicious home-made wheat and gluten free sausages and burgers.

The delicatessen stocks a full range of goods including, Devon honey and locally produced chutneys and preserves, Rookbeare ice-creams and sorbets, locally baked bread, pastries and cakes, local cream and milk and eggs.

Cider and fruit juices are supplied by Sandford Orchards.

The shop stocks and sells local produce where possible and now grows about 15 to 20 crops on site to be sold in the shop at reasonable prices.

Customers can still enjoy picking their own fruit and vegetables from the fields and as some of the "pick your own" fruit is grown in tunnels customers can still pick their own even when the weather is bad.

The new café at the farm shop serves a range of speciality coffees, cream teas, cakes, toasted tea cakes, pasties and various pies and is open during farm shop opening hours.

Anthony explained: "We use local suppliers where possible and we have been thrilled with the response from local people – they even turned out in the snow!

We are not changing anything just building the business further."

Special events are often held at the farm, most recently the Devon Wine School offered a local wine tasting session at the shop.

Thorne's Farm Shop is open seven days a week from 8am to 6pm from Monday to Saturday and from 9am to 5pm on Sunday's.

There is plenty of free parking available and a picnic area where visitors can enjoy the beautiful panoramic views.