THE HOP POCKET, HEREFORDSHIRE
The Hop Pocket Shopping Village is unique. It is a collection of independent shops offering an alternative to both the high street and characterless out of town shopping. We are spread over a number of old agricultural buildings, one of which is some large hop kilns on two levels connected by three staircases and a lift. We are mainly under one roof and our car park is large, free and no distance at all. We have something for everyone!
THE STORY OVER 30 YEARS IN THE MAKING
JANET PUDGE, OWNER AND MAIN BUYER
The gift shop is very much Janet’s baby, it all came from her vision. She is responsible for most of the buying and arranging of displays. Janet is the reason that the things we have to offer are so varied, different and of such a high quality.
Give her a nice birthday card and seconds later she will be looking at the back to see if we can get them into the shop.
JOHN PUDGE, OWNER AND ACCOUNTS
If Janet makes sure everything looks good then John is the one that makes it all work. A stalwart of the “engine room” paddling away under a (mostly) graceful surface.
John is a business visionary, constantly looking for ways to adapt or advance the family farm and has taken The Hop Pocket from idea to reality. Do try to make it to the Hop Pocket at Christmas time, its John’s job to light us up like a Christmas tree.
MATTHEW PUDGE, MANAGER
Matthew runs the shop, restaurant and village day to day. His life is rich and varied, one moment he could be helping a customer, the next elbow deep in the sink and then dealing with enquries from a prospective tenant.
Matthew’s main challenges are bringing all the elements of The Hop Pocket together to make a fantastic visitor experience, and getting the word out there about what we do. Matthew lives at The Hop Pocket site, in a house that has been in his family for generations.
A unique little garden centre run by the Weston family, with an astonishing range of plants, many locally grown. Inside we have a mesmerising selection of quality outdoor gifts, tools and wild life products. Also, the largest selection of wind chimes that you’ll probably ever see!
CRAFT & GIFT CENTRE
First started as a small shop in 1988, it is now 20 times its original size. We are proud of the nicknames we have been given, ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ & ‘Little Harrods’ We stock a wide range of items, from handmade crafts to gifts of all sizes and value.
Everything is prepared fresh, from scratch in our kitchen by our wonderful cooks Sue & Laura. Our dishes range from freshly cut sandwiches, quiches & soups to full lunches like cottage pie and lasagne.
We serve toast, teacakes, scones and our scrumptious cakes are baked here on-site. On most days we have over 15 different types of homemade cake on offer from Victoria Sandwich to Carrot Cake to Coffee & Walnut Sponge, and Gluten Free Flapjack to Almond Slice via Rocky Road.
OUTDOOR COVERED SEATING AREA
We have built a covered seating area that can accommodate about 60, and it allows us to serve our homemade lunches, tea coffee and cake outside. We are not taking bookings, but seating customers on a first come first served basis.
PLAY AREA
A large well fenced grassed play area with rewilded areas sits alongside the covered outside café tables so younger ones can run about whilst not quite so younger ones can keep a watchful eye. We have one climbing frame for over fives and a little one for toddlers.
EVERYTHING TO MAKE YOUR MOUTH WATER!
Our Food Hall that stocks fine and wonderful things to eat and drink. We have a focus on our amazing local suppliers that send us free range eggs, fudge, crisps, ice cream to complement the local preserves, beer, cider, wines, gins & liqueurs that we are well known for.
We have fresh meat and pies from Wallers Butchers, fresh bread and pastries from Peter Cook’s bread, as well as cheeses, smoked fish and pates.
INDEPENDENT SHOPS
WYESTYLES
The store has a friendly team of staff waiting to welcome you, and talk you through the collections from each of our quality suppliers. We stock womenswear, menswear, underwear, accessories, baby clothing and soft toys.
Expect a completely new shopping experience that you simply cannot find on the High Street, with relaxed browsing, free parking and a very warm welcome.
CONTACT
Tel 01885 490 462 www.wyestyles.com
KOKO FOOTWEAR
Hotter, DB Shoes, Skechers, Heavenly Feet and Ruby Shoo are part of our extensive collection. We are now Diamond Award Stockists for DB Wider fit Shoes. We stock a wide range of widths and sizes. Time and experience are given to find your perfect shoes.
CONTACT
Tel 01885 490 871
A fresh and inspiring hair and wellness studio which is sustainable and cruelty free, offering a wide range of cut, colouring and make up services.
Stylist and owner Rebecca splits her time between her gorgeous clients at the salon, wedding hair, makeup and high fashion editorials.
CONTACT
Tel 01885 572 001 www.rebecca-claire.co.uk
TOY STORE
Stocking a huge collection of toys, crafts and gifts. Wooden and traditional toys, including Bigjig Rail, puppets, things to do and proper toddler toys. We have a great selection of jigsaws suitable for ages from 1 to 99 years!
Independent & family-owned store offering inspirational furniture, from sofas and chairs to dining sets and home accessories, all at competitive prices. Browse through our stunning showroom in a relaxed and friendly environment, and knowledgeable advice from our lovely team.
GREEN HOP POCKET
BIOMASS BOILER:
In 2012 we replaced four oil fired central heating boilers with a large wood chip boiler, all of the shopping areas are kept warm and toasty by wood fuel that comes from a small family company in Leominster, about 18 miles away.
ROOFTOP SOLAR PANELS:
in 2012 and 2013 we installed photo voltaic panels on all of the viable roofs, some needed a little strengthening. Since then, between 5% and 10% of our power has been renewable, you can see some of them from the car park.
RECYCLING:
We have for a long time been active recyclers. We are unconvinced that throwing all of our recyclables into one bin in the hope that it can be separated somewhere else is a great idea. So instead, we separate our cardboard and plastics which we bale to be collected by a firm from Pixley, about 7 miles away. Our pallets are collected to be repaired if necessary and then reused. Our scrap metals are collected by a local dealer. Anything we can separate and recycle we do; this has reduced the amount of large waste bins on site from 20 to 5.
Field mounted solar panels:
We have been working on a project to put in enough photo voltaic panels to power the site for 70% of the whole year, network infrastructure prevents us from going further. We are aiming to install an acre of panels on a next-door field, along with some batteries, currently we have arable crops in the field, in the future sheep will graze around the array.
GROUPS & PARTIES
We have a large room that can comfortably hold 50 to 60 people as a sit-down meal. We are happy to help out whether you are thinking of morning coffee, lunch or an afternoon tea. We are a perfect place for groups and parties to while away a few hours, chatting with friends as you do some proper retail therapy.
Coaches can pull up to the main entrance arches to unload their guests, then move into the large car park which is arranged for the coach to pull back round when it is time to pick up.
We’re also a great place for automobile clubs, we have sections of car park that can be reserved allowing all of you to park together, with plenty of space to walk around and chat. Any other halves that enjoy a trip out will have plenty of shops to browse if they are not as interested in the vehicles!
DOGS AT THE HOP POCKET
We love dogs, but the shops are not the greatest place for them! Dogs are allowed on a lead in the car parks, covered courtyard and covered outdoor cafe next to the play area, but not in the shops or inside restaurant. All guide and support dogs are allowed in the shops, as are dogs that are carried. We do not allow loose dogs on site at all.
OPENING TIMES
Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm (Cafe closes 4pm) Sunday 10.30am to 4pm (Cafe closes 3.30pm)
In the restaurant we serve breakfast from 10am (10.30am Sundays), main meals from 12pm until 2.15pm and cake until 4pm (3.30pm Sundays).
We are closed on Mondays except for Bank Holidays when we are open 10am to 5pm.
From the end of October until Christmas we are open 7 days a week, Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 10.30am to 4pm.
