FOOD & DR INK
country to showcase their work and meet customers. The positive feedback Charles gets from the cheesemakers is testament to the quality of Cambridge consumers. “We have really well-informed customers who are very engaged – producers say they keep coming to this event year after year because the engagement of the customers is amazing: they’re really interested, they’re keen to understand, to learn more – it makes our jobs easier!” Charles enthuses. “We far from get everything right all the time – and our customers are very quick to feed back when we don’t get it right – but I think because they can see we’re honest, they can see it for what it is – they understand and forgive it.” One of Charles’s areas to tackle is the perception of The Gog as being an expensive place to shop. “I wanted to create a really pleasant environment – but doing so sets you up for the idea that everything’s going to be expensive,” Charles points out. “We don’t intentionally charge more, but you might find a product that’s really incredible, from some small producer, which has cost her loads of money to create, so it does cost more. We don’t stick a big margin on it, but we also don’t work to tell the story of why it’s so incredible as much as we should – and we’ve got to get better at that.” But there’s evidence of change throughout the farm: in the butchery, vegan items have found their way onto the shelves alongside The Gog’s ever- popular sausages. “The vegan packs are selling really well,” Charles nods. “What’s been interesting for us about the whole vegan story is that people have definitely become more considered about what they’re eating. I as an individual don’t eat as much meat as I used to – I’m thinking about that a lot more – but what’s worked well for us is that when people are eating meat, they’re eating better quality meat. Here, you know where it’s come from, you can have sensible conversations with the butchers – that’s worked really well for us.” Creating a space where everyone can feel comfortable enough to ask questions about food means that consumers really trust The Gog. They trust the shop is selling the best product, and not just selling. Seasonality is at the heart of this, says Charles. “We, as an industry, have been so consumer-driven, in that we’re continually responding to the demands of consumers rather than... what’s actually good to eat at that time.” He concedes: “It’s a challenge, it goes against the grain, but it’s so important.” Charles admits that they’ve made missteps on this front, but have already taken action to correct it back towards what you’d expect to see on the shelves
“People have definitely become more considered about what they’re eating”
at The Gog. “You used to be able to come here, and we would have had fruit and veg that was out of season. We would have had this in stock,” he says. “We used to work with a very traditional greengrocer, and we didn’t have the ability to flex the order in the same way that we do now. We haven’t got it right yet, not by any stretch, but it’s so much better. We’re also reducing plastic – salads are tricky – but we’re doing it.” This drive toward seasonality extends into the butchery, where certain products appear briefly before disappearing for a year – salt marsh lamb, for example, will have already been and gone by the time this interview is published. Charles says: “It’s like – they understand that game’s in season. ‘Can I get this?’ No, it’s out of season. ‘Oh, ok then.’ And people understand that. The challenge is to explain that with other products.” This shift from supplying what people want, whenever they want it, to only selling the best of what’s available during the time it’s at its peak requires effort and explanation – but The Gog’s army of loyal customers are all too willing to listen, and
new devotees are discovering the farm all the time. “Every day we get people coming down here saying, ‘I had no idea this was here!’” Charles laughs. “I had to help someone out the shop the other day who had never been here before, but was coming out with bags of food, and was just so excited to have found us.” A summer of celebration lies ahead: The Gog’s Sundowner Sessions, where the farm keeps its doors open for late- night food, drinks and music while guests enjoy the sunsets and rolling vistas, are returning for numerous weekends (check The Gog’s social media for updates). A huge family picnic is also planned for Saturday 31 August, with the Bradfords inviting all of Cambridge to come raise a glass to 100 years of family history. And what’s next on the horizon? Well, you’ll have to find Charles and ask him yourself, but what’s clear is that the entire team is raring to go for the next chapter in the life of the farm. “We’re a little family, just outside Cambridge. We set our sights on this goal and – it’s good,” Charles says. “And there’s plenty for us to do next.”
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