Hitcham village shop and post office (with cash dispenser) is approximately a mile away and stocks most basics. Hitcham also has a lovely large playground for children - the best for miles around! - a lot of which is made of wood with hand-carved animals to climb on. At the bottom of the hill, approximately 1.5 miles away, is Hitcham church.
There is a slightly larger shop in Bildeston. Supermarkets and other shops are to be found in Lavenham (2 small Co-ops), Hadleigh (large Morrisons, Co-op) and Stowmarket (large ASDA, Morrisons). All of these are approximately 7 miles (15 minutes’ drive) away and all have cash points at least one pharmacy. Hadleigh and Stowmarket are larger than Lavenham and have banks and a range of other high street and independent shops. The nearest large towns are Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich, both approximately half an hour’s drive away.
There are good dining pubs in many surrounding villages: Bildeston, Chelsworth, Monks Eleigh and Buxhall, to name just a few, are all within 10 minutes’ drive. There are cafés in Lavenham and Hadleigh as well as Monks Eleigh and at Hollow Trees Farm in Semer (10 minutes’ drive), both of which also have plenty more to offer - please see Places to visit.
There are various local takeaway options: fish and chips is available from Bildeston on Thursdays (4-7pm) and Fridays (11am-1.30pm). On Friday and Saturday evenings, Finezza stone-baked pizza from Hadleigh is usually available for delivery to Crossways Farm (and can be picked up from Hadleigh the rest of the week). Most other restaurants in the area also do takeaway for pick up.
The nearest railway station is in Stowmarket. Stowmarket is on the London to Norwich line (from London Liverpool Street and Stratford) and the Cambridge to Ipswich line.