Welcome to Village Greens from James & Catherine Dampier
Catherine and I wanted a change of pace from our busy corporates jobs. When the local produce store became available we made a leap of faith and took it on. That was 15 years ago! Its been tremendous fun, extremely hard work and a huge learning curve to get where we are today. Food retailing is tough when you have core principles that you want to trade by. We are proud to say we have stuck to ours making us one of the only retailers in Surrey with this unique ethos. Today we have 2 shops, one in Coles Lane, Ockley and one at Denbies Vineyard, Dorking.
A Team That Cares
First and foremost we have put together a team from the local community that have both a passion for the produce that they are ordering and selling as well as simply having a good time with our customers.
Our Own Produce
We grow a variety of vegetables at Ockley, nurtured using traditional methods and picked fresh for you for the best possible flavour. When in season these include salads, cabbages, spring greens, squashes, peppers, french and runner beans, herbs, chard, spinach and much more.
Local Producers
We are proud of our close relationship with all of our local suppliers. We only sell meat and poultry that has been reared humanely, with animals given the space they need and the time to grow at their natural rate.
We source much of the fruit and veg that we don’t grow ourselves from Secretts farm in Milford, Surrey as well as receiving regular quality produce from our own customers. During the summer our extensive range of tomatoes come from Nutbourne Nurseries in Pullborough and when autumn arrives we welcome the extensive range of apples from Ringden Farms in Sussex. We also have a long relationship with Hulse in Redhill, a family owned fruit and veg business.
We also take the local priority seriously with our other groceries. Bread, pastries, sandwiches, fresh soups, pâtés, quiches, pies, scotch eggs, crisps, chocolate, gingerbread, ice-cream, cheeses, cold meats, coffees, milk and much else is sourced within Surrey and Sussex.
Village Greens For The Community
We try to minimise food miles by sourcing locally but we are also realistic in our ethos. We do our utmost to ensure a fair deal for local farmers and food producers and to help encourage the countryside economy but we are also very aware of our responsibility to provide a high quality alternative to the supermarkets. Consequently we stock produce from around the UK and overseas wherever we feel it meets our high standards. As a community shop we have made sure that you can come and buy a range of ingredients. If you want to cook a meal from a scratch or have some help. Everyday essentials and treats, we have it covered.
Better For The Planet
We can only do our small part but fewer food miles means lower carbon emissions, fewer pesticides means greater biodiversity, less plastic packaging means less landfill. But most of all, better food means happier customers!
