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: 01555
772277
54 Oct/Nov 2015 www.farmers-mart.co.uk
ramsayofcarluke.co.uk
www.raydalepreserves.co.uk