A Wokingham farm has been praised for its work throughout the pandemic.
Stokes Farm on Binfield Road was named a top egg supplier in the South of England by The Co-operative who saw egg sales rise by 50% during lockdown.
Sophie Findlay from Stokes Farm said: “We took the difficult decision to close our small farm shop during lockdown for the safety of our staff and customers.
“However, we are so grateful for the support we’ve seen from our loyal customers and the wider community who have continued to buy Stokes Farm eggs from local stores around Berkshire.
“While the uptake in home baking is sure to be a contributing factor in the demand, there does seem to be a conscious effort by consumers to shop locally, ethically and sustainably during this crisis. It’s fantastic.”
Other egg suppliers praised for their efforts include Beechwood Eggs, Thatcham, Berkshire, Black Dog Eggs, Devon, Claytons Eggs, Hampshire, Brownrigg, Isle of Wight, and Coastal Farm Eggs, Kent.
Matt Elliott, Retail Buying & Services Manager who looks after Local Flavours at Southern Co-op, said: “Our local suppliers have done a great job helping us fill the gap when eggs were in short supply at retail stores across the country.
“Over the recent lockdown period we have seen a spike in sales of local eggs and the support we have seen across our suppliers has been fantastic.
“We would urge our customers to continue to support local suppliers and shop locally.”
The regional, independent co-operative sells the eggs as part of its Local Flavours range which celebrates regional produce in its retail stores across the south of England.
For more information about Southern Co-op’s Local Flavours range log on to www.thesouthernco-operative.co.uk/food/local-flavours/.
