Parlour Farm began in some converted pig sheds 7 years ago, funnily enough called Parlour Farm. The name stuck! (but nothing else we hasten to add!) Throughout this time we have developed and grown as a company based on a simple basic theory:- "We are real people working here and we work hard. Our customers are real people and they work hard too. If we can find a product, buy it and then sell it at a FAIR profit, there must be a market for what we do. As a result of basing everything we do on this statement, we now have a serious reputation for providing the very best at "real and honest" prices.

Our history is based around the importation, restoration and selling of antique pine furniture and we now have a customer base of over 6,000 people from all over the world. Being based in the Cotswalds we have supplied many private individuals as well as other kitchen companies with our old pine for their kitchens - dressers sideboards, larders etc. People kept saying that whilst they loved our old pine they could not find a traditional Belfast sink unit made to a specific size. We knew many firms that dealt in kitchens, but the feedback was that their prices were ludicrous. We began to think. As a result we sourced our own English Manufacturing facility, and launched Parlour Farm Kitchens.

After 4 years we now manufacture over 180 kitchens a year, and many hundreds of free-standing units. So "how?"-you may ask! It is not that difficult really. If one strips out all the "fluffy" bits, and by that we mean: expensive high street showrooms, "frilly" service, expensive brochures, massive marketing campaigns, commissions, gizmos, promotional discounts, half price this and that, free this and that with orders over XYZ, and instead make it simple - then take the costs and make a FAIR profit - the result is that our average fully bespoke, hand-painted, fully installed solid wood kitchen with 40mm solid wood worktops is about 9,000 inc. VAT!

In achieving this price we do not compromise on attention to detail, quality or friendliness. You may not find that we have a warehouse full of customer service staff, or, indeed, assign you an "account manager". What we have is a very personal approach to our business, where everyone in our small "family" is friendly and passionate about what they do, and, what's more, they like doing it.

So, given that you have decided on a new kitchen, the choice is either a chipboard carcass mass-produced kitchen, or a traditional bespoke handmade kitchen. Depending where you go, the former can cost anything from 1,000 to 15,000, and the latter normally starts at 15,000 and is more like 25,000! Well we have all had the chipboard version at some stage and know its pros and cons. Most of us would love to have a bespoke kitchen but are aghast at the cost. It is not to say or comment on our, or anyone else's financial status, but more a statement on the "bonkers" (!) pricing policies of some retailers.

Perhaps, by the way we have written this, you are beginning to understand a little more about us at Parlour Farm! We do it differently!