'We are here to champion British farmers who produce wonderful milk, meat, vegetables and eggs': The Country Life team's favourite farm shops
More and more of us are choosing to buy produce directly from farms.
‘Britain is now the home of the middleman,’ Baroness Cavendish trumpeted recently in the Financial Times. She was talking about the retinue of parasitic advisers in every corner of corporate life, but I have good news — at least as far as our food systems are concerned.
It seems we are cutting out the middleman (for which, read supermarkets) as more of us choose to buy produce directly from our farms.
There are now more than 1,500 farm shops across Britain, putting stock in the Wendell Berry adage that ‘eating is an agricultural act’. The success of establishments such as Daylesford or Farm Shop (above; yes, that’s its name), which retails produce from its Somerset farm both at home in Bruton and in London’s South Audley Street, has given rise to a new kind of middleman: Produce & Provide, an online marketplace that identifies the nearest farm to the consumer and is now inviting every producer to register their smallholding — many of them offering more affordable options than the above.
‘Our modern-day food system is controlled by big food business that strips it of taste and provenance,’ says Neil Darwent, Produce & Provide’s founder. ‘We are here to champion British farmers who produce wonderful milk, meat, vegetables and eggs.’ I’ll be sowing my own seeds after lunch.
The South-East and the Home Counties
This indoor farmers market has been on the radar of locals for more than 20 years who rush to the stalls of fresh veggies, baked goods, local cheeses and meat. It notably boasts the only independent fishmongers in Canterbury and the largest number of British bottled beers in the entire South East.
Weary shoppers can stop for an English garden-inspired cocktail at the on-site Wild Goose bar and restaurant.
The Goods Shed, Station Road, Canterbury, Kent CT2 8AN
Cobbs Farm is set on 55 acres of land and farms according to regenerative methods. The shop stocks a huge range of food and drinks including seasonal vegetables and fresh dairy ice-cream.
Tours of the vineyard, which is responsible for the delicious and award-winning Alder Ridger sparkling wine, are also available (as are, more importantly, tastings).
Cobbs Farm Shop & Kitchen, Bath Road, Hungerford, Berkshire RG17 0SP
Middle Farm has been looked after by the same family for six generations and counting, and they’re known for their high welfare and environmental standards.
The shop sells an enviable selection of Sussex-produced food and drink, as well as 80 British-made cheeses.
The cider barn is a particular favourite, and a great way to pass the time whilst the children get acquainted with some of the animals on the open farm.
Middle Farm, Firle, Lewes, East Sussex BN8 6LJ
The Cowdray Farm Shop is a Country Life-office favourite and the embodiment of high-quality, farm-to-fork produce.
The butchers stock Estate-stalked venison (in season), and Estate-reared grass-fed lamb and beef. Other meat and poultry are sourced from local suppliers.
Cowdray Park, Cowdray Farm Shop & Cafe, Midhurst, West Sussex GU29 0AJ
Ferny Grove Farmshop is something of a jewel in Berkshire’s crown, best known for its award-winning, on-site butchers, Quintessential Meats.
Everyone’s favourite? The homemade sausage rolls, best eaten before you’ve even left the shop with a hunk of fine English cheese and some locally-baked bread.
Fernygrove Farm Shop, Hawthorn Hill, Warfield, Berkshire RG42 6HN
Norfolk and Suffolk
Alder Carr is a proper hidden gem in the Suffolk countryside, comprising a farm shop, deli, cafe and craft store.
The various stores are arranged around a courtyard and windmill which dates back to 1796 (you’ll find William & Herbert Vintage and Antiques inside the windmill itself).
Don’t leave without a pint of Alder Tree’s own ice-cream and a quick trip to the cafe for a ploughman’s platter or hearty chicken curry.
Alder Carr Farm, Creeting St. Mary, Needham Market, Suffolk IP6 8LX
South-West
Teals has something of a cult-following, especially with those amongst us that spend a lot of time on the A303.
As well as the standard meats, fresh salad and veggies, cereals and condiments, Teals also has a pretty homeware and books section, health-foods section and a popular cafe — which serves up a particularly good breakfast.
Don’t leave without a sausage roll, arguably the best in the South West.
Teals, 1, Orchard Lane, South Cadbury, Somerset BA22 7FS
This Cornish gem of a farm shop — surrounded by acres of idyllic farmland, which they manage themselves — boasts its own butcher, selection of homegrown fruit and veg, homemade meals, prized Cornish cheeses and vast selection of Cornish ales, wines and spirits,
The highlight? Padstow Pasta. Made by hand using flour milled at another, nearby farm.
Trethillick Farm, Padstow, Cornwall PL28 8HJ
Lobbs is supplied by three family farms, covering, in total, 850 acres of land. The native breed beef and lamb is reared to high ethical standards, and fattened up with feed produced by the farm they live on.
And you don’t have to wait for Spring to come around for the lamb because the sheep farmed are Poll Dorset sheep — prolific for their ability to breed all year round.
Lobbs Farm Shop, St Ewe, St Austell, Cornwall PL26 6EN
Scotland
Rothiemurchus is part of a working Highland estate, and stocks its own beef and venison, as well as fresh rainbow trout, heather honey and cheeses created in partnership with IJ Mellis of Edinburgh — Scotland’s leading cheesemonger.
The shop is committed to a zero waste policy, with a ‘Rothie Refills’ station for food essentials.
Nearby Loch An Eilein was once voted Britain’s Best Picnic Spot so if you cannot wait to get home before tucking in then this is where you should head.
Rothiemurchus, Aviemore, Inverness-shire, PH22 1QH
Balgove is more than just a shop, it’s a school.
Join one of their butchery classes and learn about why slow-grown, free-range animals fed on a sustainable diet results in the best meat (which you can take home after your lesson).
Balgove Larder, Farm Shop, Butchery & Cafe, Strathtyrum, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9SF
The winner of The Best Farm Shop & Deli in Scotland 2021 in the Great British Food Awards, Ardross is a mixed farm that prides itself on exceptionally high standards.
The farm shop sells quality cuts of pasture-fed beef and lamb, reserving some for their highly prized pies, made on-site.
Ardross Farm, Elie, Fife KY9 1EU
Hampshire
The Janaways family have been producing food on their 500-acre mixed farm for four generations, with the fifth currently in training.
The farm shop sells a variety of local produce, but their newest addition, a huge walk-in Cheese Room, actively encourages you to try before you buy — a reason in itself to visit.
Newlyns, North Warnborough, Lodge Farm North, RG29 1HA
Wellington Farm Shop was founded by Lady Honor Montagu, granddaughter of the 8th Duke of Wellington, and its opening officiated by Her Majesty The Queen (then HRH The Duchess of Cornwall) in 2005.
It’s still staunchly committed to His Majesty The King’s commitment to sustainable farming practices.
Arrives early because the cafe offers a ‘legendary’ all-day breakfast to fuel your shopping.
Wellington Farm Shop, Park Corner Farm, Welsh Lane, Hook, RG27 0LJ
Sky Park specialises in deer and offers visitors the opportunity to meet them close-up. The highly-prized venison is of course available to buy in the butchers.
The shop also sells deli goods, cheeses and freshly prepared meals, made in their in-house kitchen. Most suppliers live within a 30-mile radius.
Novelties include the milk vending machine — bring your own bottles and choose between traditional and flavoured milks — and The Grazing Rooms restaurant.
Sky Park Farm Shop, West Harting, Petersfield, GU31 5PT
Oxfordshire & The Cotswolds
Since 2005, Worton Kitchen Garden has been growing — literally. Made up of field crops, an orchard, greenhouses and poly-tunnels for delicate salads, the cottage garden is a little slice of green fingered paradise.
It also boasts of a small-scale animal husbandry and an on-site baker that churns out the freshest of loaves every morning — as well as quiches, tarts and pastries.
The restaurant offers a hyper-local menu with produce grown, foraged and hunted in the vicinity.
Worton Kitchen Garden, Worton Park, Worton Farm, Worton, OX29 4SU
Though small in size, the ethos, produce and hard work behind this independent enterprise is mind-blowing.
Locals make up the majority of Bosley’s loyal customers, but plenty travel from miles away just to get their hands on home-baked goods (you need to be there by 9am to snag a fresh jam doughnut).
Once devoured, you can fill your bags with high quality, seasonal and organic produce from the shop.
Bosley Patch, Swiss Farm, Marlow Rd, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 2HZ
The North
John and Barbara Dunning opened Tebay Services in 1972 after the M6 motorway was built through their farm. Rather than shutting up shop, they decided to invite locals and drivers alike into their world.
Sourcing meat from their own farm and working with more than 70 producers, the shop sells lamb, mutton and native-breed beef, sandwiches, vegetables, cheeses, beer and more.
Westmorland Place, Orton, Penrith, Cumbria CA10 3SB
Doddington Hall & Gardens Farm Shop
Doddington opened in 2007, selling produce from their own kitchen garden, beef from their own herd of Lincoln red cattle, traditionally-milled flour, and Doddington Estate Honey and apple juice.
There’s also a wine shop filled to the brim with a wicked selection of global wines.
Doddington Hall, Main Street, Doddington, Lincolnshire LN6 4RU
North Acomb Farm Shop dates back to 1978 as a small-scale operation selling off surplus free-range eggs.
It’s come a long way since then, and now sells Aberdeen Angus beef, lamb and pork, all reared on the farm, as well as homemade black pudding, Scotch eggs, savoury pies, sweet treats and hearty meals.
Stocksfield, Northumberland NE43 7UF
Piercebridge Organic Farm Shop
Part of a 300-acre, organic farm, Piercebridge Farm Shop is run by a family who have been farming on the land since 1964.
In 2001, they converted some stables into a shop — now home to more than 2,000 organic products (including pork from Landrace Duroc pigs — renowned for their tender meat).
The farm itself has won awards for its conservation and diversification efforts — which must mean that every purchase is guilt-free…
Piercebridge Farm Shop, The Green, Piercebridge, Darlington, Co Durham DL2 3SE
