The Farmers Mart Oct/Nov 2015 - Issue 42 | Page 54

Albion Farm & Farm Shop Six generations and going stronger than ever »»With passport in hand (!), Ian Wilkinson headed across Saddleworth Moor and down to the picturesque village of Delph right on the YorkshireLancashire border, to meet the Hirst Family who have Albion Farm & Farm shop and also Wood Farm. Albion Farm has been in the family for 100 years – for six generations in fact - and used to be the largest poultry farm in the area both before and after the Second World War. Free range eggs still supply the shop to day’ they currently aren’t ours because of the fox situation and us not being there all of the time. We will be re introducing them soon though. In 1970, David and his father, Sidney then started the Welsh Black cattle herd which now numbers 140. In the 80s, David and his wife, Annette, became tenants of United Utilities at Wood Farm, in addition to running Albion Farm. Wood Farm lies at the other end of Delph village. Recently, conservation has played a big part at Wood Farm: David, Annette and son Aaron have been working with United Utilities on a conservation project which has seen land around reservoirs developed along with help of experts from the RSPB. The aim is to reduce damage to the peat moorlands by re-generating heather. The Award-winning bacon curers & butchers livestock will be fenced out of certain areas in order for this to take place. Around 40,000 native trees have been planted in the gullies and ravines, again to help prevent the water washing the peat and soil down into the reservoirs. The Hirsts farm and manage 1,500 acres in total stretching right across the valley and beyond. Their herd of 140 Welsh black cattle happily graze among the 140 pedigree Dorset horns and polled Dorsets initially bought to create better lamb for their butchers’. They also have 400 commercial breeding ewes and as David and Paul explained, they have now bought some easy care sheep, which is a new low maintenance breed that sheds its own coat – greatly reducing the risk of blow fly and also saving them the expense of shearing. The flock is being steadily built up again following after big cut backs in numbers to allow the tree planting and re fencing. Following the problems created by the dreaded foot and mouth they decided that the business needed something else to generate a regular income, so they opened a small shop .David said they had always had the idea of having a farm shop, so that they could sell their beef Raydale Preserves Family butchers for over 150 years, Ramsay of Carluke use only ‘Farm Assured’, outdoor bred pigs, Traditional Ayrshire Bacon, Black Pudding, Sausages, Free Range Pork and Cooked Hams – as well as some of the tastiest Haggis in the world. A family run business making jams and preserves by traditional methods to the highest quality Raydale Preserves are proud suppliers to Albion Farm Shop All of our products are available via our website Proud suppliers to Albion Farm Shop Contact us T: 01969 650233 | E: [email protected] Tel: [phone] Oct/Nov 2015 www.farmers-mart.co.uk ramsayofcarluke.co.uk www.raydalepreserves.co.uk