Maple syrup & chilli spare ribs with English asparagus

We are third generation farmers on a small tenant farm one mile north of Moreton-in-Marsh. We took over the farm from Simon’s parents in 2002 and in April 2004 we opened the first version of our farm shop (we are now on no. 3!) so that we could offer people a chance to buy local and know exactly where their food is produced. Our abattoir is only seven miles away and we installed a cutting room at the farm where all our meat is packaged and we make our own award-winning sausages, bacon and gammons.

The shop is basically an extension of our larder and we fill it with as much tasty, local produce as we can (beers, dairy, jams, bread, veg, eggs etc) and buy direct from the producer where possible. We use compostable trays for packing meat where possible and stock environmentally-friendly cleaning product re-fills, locally made beeswax food wraps and goat milk soap and shampoo bars.

We’re open on Fridays and Saturdays 9.30am – 2.00pm and our customers don’t just come to shop, the coffee machine is on and we’re always happy to sit and chat!

Sustainability is something we really care about at Old Farm, we believe that by following traditional farming methods we can help in the fight against climate change whilst still producing great quality food and providing wildlife habitats.

Our sheep and Hereford cattle graze permanent pasture land that could not be used for growing crops; well-managed grazing systems can sequester enough carbon to entirely compensate for the green-house gases these systems release.

Our ‘Glamrock’ pigs are housed in straw yards and outside in tents. Hay and silage is made on the farm to feed stock over the winter reducing transport costs and emissions. Straw from the arable crops is used for bedding. Manure is put back onto the arable land to reduce the need for artificial fertilisers and we are planting peas and beans which put nitrogen back into the soil. We are also trialling a ‘no-till’ approach to improve the health and quality of the land.

We are members of LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) and have been involved with Open Farm Sunday since it started. It is on June 12^th this year – check out the website nearer the time for more information as we’ll be inviting people for a farm walk, demonstrations and tractor and trailer rides.