Goodbye Summer, Hello September: A New Season Begins at Hockey’s Farm Shop
Today marks the final day of August and, as we say goodbye to summer, tomorrow brings the beginning of a new month and a fresh season at Hockey’s Farm Shop.
September arrives with a familiar change of pace. School bags are being packed, uniforms are being found, alarm clocks are being set and family routines are about to begin again. Across the New Forest, the landscape will gradually start to change too, bringing cooler mornings, the first hints of autumn colour, new seasonal flavours and the return of one of the Forest’s oldest and most important traditions.
At Hockey’s Farm Shop in South Gorley, there is plenty to look forward to throughout the month ahead. Across the Farm Shop, Farmyard Cafe, butchers and the farm itself, September will bring easy supper inspiration, delicious local produce, comforting food and the beginning of pannage season in the New Forest.
Back to School and Back to Routine
For many families, the start of September means returning to school, work, clubs, homework and a much more structured weekly routine. After weeks of days out, later bedtimes and summer plans, the question of what to make for supper can suddenly feel like one more decision on an already busy day.
A visit to the Farm Shop can help make those first few weeks back a little easier. Our shelves are filled with locally sourced produce, store-cupboard essentials, sauces, chutneys and carefully selected ingredients for quick weekday meals.
Locally made pasta with a good sauce and some fresh vegetables can become supper in minutes. Sausages from the butchers are ideal for an easy traybake, while chicken can be paired with rice, salad, roasted vegetables or flatbreads. Our sausage rolls and other savoury favourites are also useful for busy days, packed lunches or those afternoons when everyone arrives home hungry at once.
September suppers do not need to be complicated. Often, the answer is simply good ingredients, prepared well, with enough left over to make lunch or supper the following day a little easier.
Supper Starts at the Butchers
Our traditional butchers counter will continue to be at the heart of Hockey’s Farm Shop throughout September and is an excellent place to begin when you need some inspiration.
Tell our butchers how many people you are feeding, how much time you have and the kind of meal you would like to make. They can recommend the right cut, advise on quantities and offer cooking guidance, whether you need something quick for a school night or a joint for a relaxed Sunday lunch.
As September progresses, our meals often begin to shift with the weather. Sausages become the starting point for casseroles, traybakes, sausage and mash or a large pan of ragu. Mince can be used for cottage pie, meatballs, chilli or a family-sized lasagne, while slow-cooking cuts can be prepared in the morning and left to become wonderfully tender.
There is no need to abandon lighter meals as soon as August ends, either. September often gives us some beautifully warm days, so chicken kebabs, burgers, steaks and chops can still be served with salads, couscous, flatbreads or roasted vegetables. The best September menus often sit comfortably between the seasons: fresh enough for a sunny afternoon but comforting enough when the evening turns cooler.
Shopping from a traditional butcher also allows you to buy the amount you actually need, ask questions and discover cuts you may not have considered before. It is a personal way to shop and one that helps you make the most of every purchase.
Fresh Fish Every Wednesday
The Mobile Fish Company will continue to visit Hockey’s Farm Shop every Wednesday from 11am until 2pm, bringing another excellent option for the week’s menu.
The weekly fish stall makes it easy to pick up fresh fish and seafood while visiting the Farm Shop, Farmyard Cafe or butchers. Fish is perfect when you want a quick supper that still feels special. Try pan-fried fish with new potatoes and vegetables, colourful fish tacos with crunchy slaw, a comforting fish pie or a simple tray of roasted fish with tomatoes, herbs and lemon.
You can choose your fish, browse the Farm Shop for everything you need to accompany it and perhaps stop for coffee or lunch at the same time. It is exactly the kind of convenient local shopping that can help take some of the pressure out of planning meals during the busy school week.
Remember that the fish stall is at Hockey’s every Wednesday between 11am and 2pm, so it is well worth making a midweek visit part of your September routine.
September at the Farmyard Cafe
The return to school does not mean that every day needs to feel rushed. The Farmyard Cafe will be open throughout September for breakfast, lunch, coffee and cake, making Hockey’s an easy place to meet after the school run, stop during a day in the New Forest or visit before collecting something for supper.
September can be a particularly lovely time to spend a few hours at the farm. The busiest weeks of the summer holidays may be coming to an end, but there will still be plenty happening around the site. Meet a friend for coffee, enjoy a relaxed breakfast or stop for lunch before browsing the Farm Shop and butchers.
Our younger visitors can still come and say hello to the animals at weekends or after school, while the farm offers families the chance to enjoy some fresh air without needing to organise an entire day out. Dogs are welcome across the outdoor areas of the site when kept on leads, although they cannot enter the Farm Shop or butchers.
For those planning a September visit to the New Forest, Hockey’s Farm Shop in South Gorley is also an ideal place to include in an early-autumn day out. We are close to Fordingbridge and Ringwood, surrounded by the countryside that shapes so much of what we grow, rear, sell and serve.
Pannage Season Begins on 14th September
One of the biggest events in the New Forest calendar will begin on Monday 14th September, when pigs are once again released onto the open Forest for pannage season.
Pannage is an ancient New Forest tradition practised by Commoners. During the season, pigs are turned out to forage for fallen acorns and other nuts. Although pigs can safely eat acorns, they are poisonous in large quantities to New Forest ponies and cattle. The pigs therefore perform a valuable role by clearing them from the Forest floor.
It is a wonderful example of how traditional farming practices remain relevant in the New Forest today. The pigs can forage naturally, while helping to protect the ponies and cattle that graze across the Forest.
Seeing pigs roaming beneath the trees and along the verges is always a memorable sight, but they must be given plenty of space. If you encounter pigs during pannage season, please do not approach or feed them, keep dogs under close control and drive slowly and carefully. Pigs may wander near roads and verges as they follow the food available to them.
What Makes New Forest Pannage Pork So Special?
Pannage does more than help clear acorns from the Forest floor. The pigs’ natural foraging and active lifestyle also contribute to the distinctive character of the pork produced at the end of the season.
Their varied diet helps to create pork with exceptional flavour, texture and beautifully developed fat. Pannage pork is often described as having a rich, slightly nutty depth of flavour, making it particularly valued by butchers, chefs and customers who care about quality, provenance and traditional farming.
At Hockey’s, our connection to pannage is an important part of our farming story. We specialise in rare-breed British Lop pigs, a native breed valued for the quality and flavour of its pork. When pannage pork becomes available later in the year, customers know they are buying something genuinely connected to the landscape, heritage and living traditions of the New Forest.
That quality received outstanding national recognition at the 2026 Great Taste Awards. Our Pannage Rare Breed Spare Rib Pork Joint was awarded the highest possible rating of three stars, while our Pannage Belly Pork received a further one-star award.
Receiving three stars at the Great Taste Awards is an exceptional achievement and a powerful endorsement of the flavour and quality of our pannage pork. It reflects not only the final product on the butchers counter, but also the breed, the animals’ environment, the New Forest landscape and the care involved throughout the process.
Our Hockey’s Sausage Roll and Venison and Crabapple Sausages also received one-star Great Taste Awards in 2026, bringing the total to four recognised products. Together, these awards celebrate the skill of our team and the quality of the local ingredients available here in the New Forest.
Pannage pork will not arrive on the butchers counter as soon as the pigs are released on 14th September. The season must first take its course, but its return later in the year is already something very special to look forward to.
Goodbye Summer, Hello September
As the final day of August draws to a close, we are looking forward to everything the new month will bring.
September is a month that sits between the seasons. There may still be sunny afternoons and opportunities to eat outside, alongside the first cooler evenings that call for something slowly cooked and comforting. The Farm Shop shelves will begin to reflect the changing season, the butchers counter will offer plenty of inspiration and the Farmyard Cafe will remain a welcoming place to pause and enjoy time at the farm.
Whether you are collecting an easy supper after the school run, visiting the Wednesday fish stall, meeting friends for breakfast or lunch, saying hello to the animals or hoping to see the pigs during pannage season, there will be plenty of reasons to visit Hockey’s Farm Shop throughout September.
Today, we say goodbye to August and another busy summer at the farm. Tomorrow, we welcome September and a delicious new season at Hockey’s begins.
Visit Hockey’s Farm Shop in South Gorley, near Fordingbridge, in the heart of the New Forest. The Farm Shop is open daily from 9am until 5pm. The Farmyard Cafe is open daily from 8.30am until 5pm, with hot food served from 9am until 4.30pm.
