Before the first of our beautiful pods was finished, we set about making decisions on how we were to source produce and products for our new venture. In addition, we established an ethos which we stick by today – to support and incorporate local trades and businesses as much as possible.

This little labour of love to create The Partridge Retreat has been very much a team effort. Whilst Craig set about building the first prototype, with the help of his son, Pearson, and the wonderful Harry Fairley, our fabulous local carpenters, Jason and Marcus have worked tirelessly with us for the past year and produced an end product which far outreaches our initial expectations. They have also drunk 50 gallons of coffee, but will still tell you I’ve not made them enough!

Continuing on the local trend, we have done our utmost to source locally where possible. As we now begin the task of choosing products for our various optional extras, we ourselves have been able to incorporate a 1-mile element to our ‘menu’. The pork you are able to enjoy as part of our breakfast and BBQ boxes is bred and raised here on our farm, the honey comes from our beautiful bees, and the eggs courtesy of our feathered friends.

Suffolk based brewery, Adnams, have helped us curate an elegant selection of beverages, which can be purchased from us. Their local store is based in Frinton, along with many independent shops and cafes, not to mention miles of sandy beaches.

Inspired by the British countryside, and with ‘a mission to create and sell environmentally friendly products that leave little or no footprint on the planet,’ we landed upon Bramley when sourcing bath and body products. We also stock their ‘Little B’ range for little ones and ‘Digby dog’ for your four-legged friends.

We are also fortunate enough to be able to display some work by local artist, Hanna Buck, in our pods. Based in the fabulously cultured riverside town of Wivenhoe (just a short drive from us), Hanna’s art is, ‘a collection of expressions, experiences and feelings which have been translated onto canvas’. Each of our pods houses a different print, framed for us by Hanna and providing a pop of expression.

Lastly, and most importantly, we have been honoured, even during these early stages to be able to support some local causes. As sponsors of The Elmden Rangers U10s football team, our logo now adorns their brand-new kit and continuing to make an impact locally is something we feel very strongly about.

To those of you who are local, we have been overwhelmed by the encouragement and positivity we have already received and we hope to welcome many of you in the coming months.