Just go local. Just go local. Just go local.
Well, I’ve been at The Onslow for just over 9 months now, and along the way have met a lot of ludicrously funny and talented Cranleigh business men and women who I thought deserved a bit of a shout out. Despite the fact that I’ve probably been insulted by a solid 80% of them with my obscure outfit choices or slight wine addiction, I wouldn’t want them any other way.
At The Onslow, we’re so proud to be in such a great line up of High Street and Village businesses, we thought it was time to tell our amazing guests what makes us all so great!
Let’s start with the three cheekiest chaps in the village…
Ruby & Kind, our neighbours and local deli supplier, opened up only a couple of months after I joined the Surrey squad of Peach, and have gone from strength to strength ever since, with Jody, Graeme and Danny at the helm. They are lucky enough to have an army of family and friends who help them run the shop, as well as running a great Supper Box business country-wide. Whatever their secret, they’re doing something right aided by the delicious lattes our Tereza supplies them every morning, followed by the weekly Wolf Rock IPA sessions once the shop shuts its door. Oh, and Jody, we won’t mention the dancing or the potato stealing, don’t worry. They’ve also managed to bribe their way…*ahem* I mean, have quite rightly, become finalists to a number of awards including Cranleigh Big Business Awards and also took home a win at the Judges Recognition Awards for Innovation in Business Matters. They obviously massively deserve their nominations, and win, and having fed a number of our team with their Supper Boxes, we can all personally vouch for their incredible local produce and cleverly crafted ideas. I highly recommend a visit to the chaps if you need local vegetables or some artisan cheese, amongst many other great food stuff that they do!
Next up on the mention of great local business is Firebird Brewery. Richard & Bill have been supplying delicious beer to us at the Onslow for a fair
few years now, and their products really have become the best around. Their beer is always consistent, always bright, and we know we can rely on them to come in for a visit or just drop off some of their latest offerings for us to taste. We’ve also been lucky enough to go on two tours of the brewery and learn just how the magic is made. The brewery, unfortunately enough (or fortunately depending where you live) falls just outside of Surrey, meaning Sussex has landed themselves a really great gem of a business to claim in their County. With a great shop where you can pick up not only their hand-crafted Beer, but also fun merchandise and even a sneaky bottle of Wine to keep the other half happy, the boys really have thought of it all. With Craft Beers becoming more and more popular, it’s hardly surprising these chaps were Finalists in the Cranleigh Big Business Awards too, as well as winning a cracking award for their Old Ale. Go and visit them if you fancy some properly delicious and properly local Beer, I promise it’s worth it!
On the topic of booze, for the Spirit and Wine enthusiasts amongst you all, I must tell you about Taurus Wines. Nestled next to a giant minion at Whipley Manor, they’re conveniently close to Cranleigh, for massive Winos like me. They’ve been supplying our local Silent Pool Gin, made in Albury, for as long as we’ve had it, and we know we can always rely on them for a fast delivery. They’ve also helped us out of a number of sticky spots when you’ve all got over excited on a Thursday and drank us out of half-price Prosecco! Rupert is always on hand when we pop in for some expert Wine advice, or we steal Andy to have some wine and a good old gossip with us here. The shop has a great range of products to pick from, including some incredible English and relatively local options such as our favourite Gin or the Albury Silent Pool Rosé. These guys won the coveted Cranleigh Big Business Award, as well as winning multiple Wine Merchants of the Year Award, including France, Chile (twice) and Argentina. If you fancy an evening of really fantastic wine or need help with your glass collection for a party then these are definitely the team to go to.
We really are supplied by so many wonderful local businesses in and around Cranleigh and you really don’t have the time or boredom rate for me to sit and write about them all but I should just mention that without Simon and the team at Celebration Cakes across the road, our Sandwiches really would be considerably sadder, (or non-existent when we manage to run out of bread completely). And Rawlings, the local Butchers who are forever getting us out of tight spots with our Meat supplies. We also owe a lot of love to Scott and the team at EHD Builders who seem to be here far too regularly, fixing little bits of pieces, and the two Richards from One Forty and Manns who always send their customers to visit us after a heavy shopping spree.
I really can’t imagine of a better village to be a part of, and whatever anyone says, we know we’re the best market town in Peach Pubs!
P.s. I’ve given myself a sharp wrap on the knuckles for forgetting the most glamorous couple in the village Guy and Hannah at One Three Seven, who keep most of our team looking sharp and all our manes looking beautiful (let’s face it, JT needs all the help he can get). Not only are they awesome regulars but also run an amazing business, fitting us all in at short notice because of our hours. Sorry guys, love you!
