Welcome
Welcome to Chiddingly Village Shop & Café – a friendly community shop and café with free wifi, located in the ancient East Sussex village of Muddles Green, opposite Farley’s House & Gallery. It was created in 2012 by a group of passionate villagers determined to put the heart back into this rural community (the previous longstanding village stores having closed years earlier).
Chiddingly is surrounded by beautiful Sussex countryside where a host of local producers are still growing, farming, cooking, baking and brewing wonderful produce that the shop stocks, including organic bread, milk, meat, cheese, eggs, vegetables, ales, jams & chutneys and greetings cards.
We also carry a wide range of everyday groceries and household goods, as well as an array of local products and Sussex-produced gifts – in fact everything that you would expect from a great village shop, plus that little bit extra. The shop is run by a part-time manager, Dee Rouse. Alongside Dee we have a wonderful team of volunteers (some of whom are pictured above at the annual Volunteers BBQ) who extend a very warm welcome to everyone .We promote an ethos of responsible packaging and recycling by stocking refill items like quality extra virgin olive oil, Ecover washing up liquid and detergent, and by having our own Chiddingly Shop ‘bags for life’. We also carry seasonal fresh produce from our own village and a range of vegetarian and gluten free products.
In addition, we’re stockists of a good range of Brighton-based, environmentally-aware Infinity products.
The shop also acts as a village hub, providing information on local events, promoting local businesses and displaying local art on our Gallery Wall, which changes monthly.
Various clubs have monthly meetings in the café, its a great place for a casual get-together, for neighbours & newcomers alike. There are also popular weekly drop-in French conversation classes (beginner and intermediate levels) held every Thursday morning and run by villager/French native Isabelle Bouvier. And the drop-in fee includes a croissant & coffee or tea!
Our café offers an array of choices for lunch, including freshly made sandwiches & toasties, locally-made pasties as well as homemade vegetarian soups in the winter.
We also serve delicious, locally-made cakes and sweet treats, freshly ground coffees such as cappuccinos and lattes – using ethically sourced and locally roasted coffee beans from the Red Roaster Coffee Co. in Kemptown, and proper pots of tea. In the summer we have a range of cold drinks to choose from, including craft beers and delicious iced lattes. Oh, and on hot days we also have a well-stocked ice cream freezer full of cold treats!
There’s plenty of free, easy parking right outside and we have our own outside seating area. Walkers, cyclists and horse riders are all most welcome – as are dogs (on patio only and on leashes please!).
We look forward to seeing you soon!