Archive for the ‘Uncategorised’ Category

On 1 February 2019 I drove to Falmouth from Exeter because Cornwall had been visited by snow the day before.

So in the afternoon of 1 February I got the keys to the shop, from Helen and Michael Macdonald. This was the start of our story running the little pink shop.
We have never taken anything for granted, we have worked hard found and followed suppliers on Instagram, met suppliers at markets and trade shows.
But always kept honest to the fact that we are called A Gift From Cornwall and so this is where our Cornish food products should be produced and sourced from.

During the last 4 years we have operated through a global pandemic, many storms of bad weather and endless hours of queuing on the on roads.  

Our mission has always been to be sure where alcohol is made but also where chutney, sauces, jam, chocolate and fudge are made. Unlike other Cornish food and drink shops we don’t carry products from Devon or other counties.
Some times we have been approached by our wholesaler for advice on the quality of products after we have previously gone to producers directly.

We are a different kind of shop for you to find a gift bag or hamper to make up to your own specifications, and love to talk to our customers and tell the stories of our products.  Many of this products have become family favourites but also customer favourites.

Five years ago some friends introduced us to Cornwall by allowing us  to stay with them at their holiday home. We were introduced to the beautiful scenery, the coastal walks, and great Cornish food and drink. A month later after Jackie was made redundant, we decided to change our lives and move to Cornwall.

We chose Falmouth as a place to start looking for a business, and this has proven to be a good decision. Falmouth is a vibrant town with Cruise ships calling in the summer, plenty of festivals and a student population whose parents regularly visit.

The arrival of the pandemic was challenging for us and we changed how the business was run. The cost of living crisis also has an impact.

But for people who wish to enjoy Cornish food and drink as well as share it with friends and family we are still a destination for people. Most of our products have provenance or a makers story to tell which we are unafraid  to tell to customers.

So the year of 2023 continues but where is it going and what can we look forwards to.

January and the start of February have been quite quiet while people work out what is happening. February 1st  marked our fourth anniversary in the shop, we have learned a lot in that time and introduced not only new products generally, but new products from our suppliers. 

We have been fortunate with the weather with not too much rain or snow but generally we have great footfall in Falmouth but generally we are a bit quiet.

We are once again looking at our website which provides us with surprises throughout the year and sometimes means visits to suppliers at short notice, face to face is always nicer than an e-mail especially post pandemic.

So a New Year is here, and time to think about the next chapter in our story.

At the end of January  we will have been in Falmouth for four years.

We feel we are part of the community now and we have really enjoyed the atmosphere that is created in Falmouth. 
New products , suppliers have emerged and increased our range of hampers. 
Increase in traffic to our website and in the shop is always trying to be achieved.

We enjoyed the run up to Christmas with lots of people either building their own Cornish hampers or buying our made up Cornish Hampers in the shop. 

Jackie and Robert really enjoy talking to our customers and our dog friendly shop brings furry friends in to be rewarded. 
We now have a few welcome pack customers for holiday homes and are always looking to expand our Corporate customers.

 What are you still shopping for before Christmas Eve. Come and see us this weekend and shop your essentials for making your Christmas Cornish. Hampers can be made up or items of Cornish products wrapped for you. 
These are all locally sourced products for you to enjoy with your family this Christmas.
Cornish hampers are great to receive our build your own hamper scheme is popular. Why not pop in to see what we can do for you this week.

We have essentials for you to enjoy this Christmas. From warming Christmas Spirit to Cranberry sauce. Warming bean to cup Hot Chocolate ,nice Christmas fudge. Great Cornish Products to put in a build your own Cornish hamper or wrapped in a Gift bag with a nice ribbon.

Finally roasting salt to add to all your vegetables to make your Cornish Christmas meal feel extra special.

Well December is here and we are glad. The last month has been worryingly quiet for us both online and in the shop.

We are still very positive about hampers especially for Christmas and for the rest of the year. 

We continue to have new suppliers and new products for you to try, there continues to be news of people closing down in these times.

But cautious planning on our part continues  keeps us in the game.

S0 come and see what we can do for you.

We have 31 days until Christmas, and what a different place it is going to be this year.

Some of our suppliers particularly of wine have run out of stock.

We have changed some of our hampers to reflect this, and will offer what we can without the quality being changed.

We have lots of new products as well, with Buttermilk Dairy Free Hot Chocolate Bombes, and Rosemullion Christmas Crackers proving a hit.

Our Build your own Cornish Christmas hamper has proved a success both online and in the shop.

Build your own means,

• choose the products for your hamper,
• choose the hamper or gift box you wish to send it in
• choose delivery or click and collect   

Lets look forward to Christmas 2021 different but equally enjoyable.

On Wednesday 27 October 2021 the Halzephron Herb Farm Shop will have returned to Falmouth for ten years.

Helen and Michael McDonald established the shop here and the product range has continued to grow over the years from a small branded shop into a business supporting more people. 

We operate both online and in a brick and mortar premises. We are always looking to expand our offering of Build Your Own Cornish Hamper range, on line as well as in the shop.

We are aware of some shortages in some of our offerings this Christmas, but have amended our hampers and revamped our photographs.

Visitors to the shop always enjoy a chat but if anyone needs advice on their products or how to Build Your Own Cornish Hamper please get in touch.

We have 97 days until Christmas, and what a different place it is going to be this year.

The success of the county of Cornwall this year as a venue has meant we face a Christmas with a shortage in supply of a few  products.

We have changed some of our hampers to reflect this, and will offer what we can without the quality being changed.

We have continued to offer ready assembled hampers, but also we are offering a build your own option.

Build your own means,

• choose the products for your hamper,
• choose the hamper or gift box you wish to send it in
• choose delivery or click and collect   

Lets look forward to Christmas 2021 different but equally enjoyable.

The announcement of the roadmap out of Lockdown meant that both Mothering Sunday and Easter were likely to be missed events , but after a conversation with the grants department at Cornwall Council we were convinced to re-open.

The lockdown process has allowed us to reflect on where we were, and where we wanted to go in terms of the business.

We contacted some new suppliers using Instagram to get new products in, so welcome Cornish Pasta, Langley’s Chocolate, Rebel Sauces.

We have had some repairs done in the shop, to the door and windowsill.