Maker Spotlight: Stable & Wick

Stable & Wick have been renowned for their outstanding breads and bakes since 2020, but there’s a lot more at their Wick Farm location than coffee and cake.

The Wiltshire Marque team got stuck in at Stable & Wick for a photoshoot recently, and while we were there, we spoke to manager Dizz Dickson about how the business has grown since its humble beginnings. 

How did you first get involved with Stable & Wick? 

My dad and my brother run Wick Farm, where the farm shop is based, and I’ve known Louisa and her family since I was small. When she was setting it up, me and my family helped get everything up and running and it’s been really cool to see it grow over the years. 

I was away travelling for a time, but while Louisa is taking time away with her new baby and family, I’ve stepped in to manage the shop and keep it going because it is doing so well and it’s great to see. 

How important is it to have a farm shop right on the doorstep? 

Stable & Wick was a really great thing to come out of COVID, and it’s been really good for the community to have somewhere where they can pick up food that’s local to them and see exactly where it’s come from because it’s in the field next door. 

What’s been the biggest change you’ve seen since Stable & Wick opened?

It was such a different time when Stable & Wick opened originally – it was somewhere that people could meet at the weekend when they had to otherwise stay in the house. You know, grab a coffee and cake and eat it outside. Since then, we’ve built a fantastic group of regular customers. 

To be able to evolve it into something more than just a bakery, into a proper farm shop, has been truly exciting, and it’s made it even more of a destination – as well as our regulars, we get quite a few people popping in who are on their holidays, on the way elsewhere, but want to stop somewhere nice for a break. 

Where does your produce come from?

The beef and lamb come from Wick Farm, and we also work closely with a local butchers in Fordingbridge – if you want to get any specific cuts or meats, then we can get those ordered and ready for you to pick up the next day. Our fruit and veg varies depending on season and comes from as locally as possible. 

The flour we use for baking comes from Shipton Mill just over the border in Gloucestershire. Our cheese comes from a variety of different farms, including Lyburn Farm just down the road. We stock Nunton Dairy milk, which is less than four miles from us – you can get refills from here through the vending machine. And we also stock Fussell Farms rapeseed oil, and we offer refills of that. We’re keen to get people to refill and reuse – that's why we also stock products from Blueberry Den, which is a zero waste shop in Salisbury. 

What is the most popular thing at Stable & Wick?

We do Scotch eggs on Fridays and Saturdays and they’re always a crowd pleaser. The bakery is still a big hit, and the cinnamon buns are one of the first things to go – I feel like they sell themselves and you get a really generous portion. In terms of the savoury side of things, the sausage rolls also do very well! 

What’s coming next for Stable & Wick?

Developing the farm shop even further is our big focus at the moment. While the bakery’s not going anywhere, we’re really excited to find great local food and drink that we can stock, and it has so much potential to grow. We love seeing the café/bakery as a gateway to get people shopping more locally – they often don’t know what else we’ve got, so it’s lovely to see people come in for a coffee and cake and then grab something new for dinner, or try a new local producer. 

What does it mean to be part of a scheme like the Wiltshire Marque?

I love living in Downton, and I’ve loved growing up here on the farm, and I think it’s great to be able to discover loads of amazing businesses that are right on your doorstep – like Utta Nutta, for example – and you didn’t even realise. It’s a tough world to break into, so it’s great to have something like the Wiltshire Marque to help people learn more about what’s growing and what’s being made around them. 

Stable & Wick is open Monday–Saturday from 8.30am to 4pm. Indoor and outdoor seating is available. Find out more at stableandwick.com

Share this story: