Farm Shop
Tenant Farmer James Hawkins runs a family friendly open farm on the National Trust Brockhampton Estate. Along with commercial cattle he has also successfully bred and reared a herd of about 30 rare-breed Herefords in their home county. They were re-introduced to the estate in 2002 as ‘lawn mowers’ to maintain the land, but their meat is now very much in demand due to the high quality. They feast on fresh air and grass in the summer and the farm’s silage during the winter. Having lived their entire life on the farm, to RSPCA Freedom Food welfare standards, the cattle are slaughtered at a Freedom Food accredited abattoir and then hung for up to four weeks by a local butcher.
Visitors to the farm can also enjoy seeing the occasional piglet running around and the flock of free-range hens, whose eggs are on sale in the shop. They also hatch the chicks so customers can buy their own chickens here. Woolly Ryeland sheep, another rare breed, are also reared on the farm. They graze in the Estate’s ancient orchards and the fruit trees here provide the damsons for the Brockhampton Estate jam.
A visit in the summer could find you picking your own strawberries or corn cobs or sampling the home grown walnuts. Farm produce is sold informally on site at the teashop, but you can also buy James’ beef and lamb at the local butchers and the Estate shop.
