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Sittingbourne farmer from Little Sharsted Farm to feature in M&S TV advert with chef Tom Kerridge
12:05, 12 August 2024
updated: 13:01, 12 August 2024
A cherry grower is starring alongside a TV chef in a new advert.
Sarah Neaves from Little Sharsted Farm in Doddington near Sittingbourne, is in the latest M&S campaign.
She is part of Driscoll’s co-operative of growers and is the third generation of her family to produce cherries, apples and pears.
The farm was bought by her grandad, Archie, in 1952, although he had been growing since 1944.
Driscoll’s has been supplying M&S with its 32mm king cherries – 6mm bigger than the industry standard – for 50 years.
The “Farm to Foodhall” campaign is fronted by Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge.
In the advert, Sarah shows Tom the processes in place to deliver the best possible harvest and the vital role honeybees play through pollination.
“British summertime is always exciting at the farm and this year is no different,” Sarah said.
“We’re incredibly proud to be part of M&S’s Farm to Foodhall campaign and it was great being able to walk Tom through our processes and show the care and attention that goes into producing our cherries.
“While the weather has been extremely wet this year, we have robust processes in place to ensure we are able to provide quality products for our customers in all conditions.
“I’d also like to thank Jon Hillary from Driscoll’s for all the support we get on the farm.
“We love supplying M&S shoppers with our bigger-than-average king cherries and look forward to another great year with them.”
This isn’t the first time Sarah has appeared on TV.
She was previously filmed in 2021 for a series of adverts for the multinational fashion and food retailer.
It took two days to shoot four one-minute mini-features on the site.
This year’s marketing campaign is M&S’s biggest one to date.
It follows Tom as he visits specially-selected farms across the UK to tell the stories behind a range of products.
Paul Farmer, agronomist at M&S added: “We really take pride in the work we do with Sarah, Charlotte and Lizzie and the Driscoll’s team to ensure quality is at the forefront of every pick!
“It’s fantastic and a hugely rewarding part of my job to work closely with our select farmers to deliver the best possible seasonal British products for our customers and to keep raising the bar.”
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