The Shropshire farm shop which has earned a raft of award plaudits

Only recently, it was announced that Market Drayton's Fordhall Farm Shop had been nominated as a finalist in both the Small Farm Shop of the Year and Farm Shop Butchery of the Year categories at this year’s prestigious Farm Retail Association (FRA) Awards.

It's perhaps a fitting time to be honoured with more award nominations, as it celebrates a milestone 21st year.  

The farm has a great back story too. In 2006, brother and sister Ben and Charlotte Hollins had to save the organic farm that has been their home since they were born. 

The Hollins family had farmed the land at Fordhall for generations as tenant farmers. But in 2006, they had to raise £800,000 to save it, when the landowner needed to sell, and did so as members of the public bought shares in a charity which leased the land to the pair.   

Two decades after originally setting up business in 2004, the farm shop has grown in popularity, supplying meat direct from the farm while providing the very best local and organic produce.

The shop offers unique meat products not typically found in supermarkets, showcasing whole carcass butchery for a full nose-to-tail experience. 

Popular items include bones, fat, and offal, catering to those seeking a natural diet. They also stock locally grown vegetables and artisan products from over 40 nearby producers.

"When we started,  the farm shop was in a bootroom in the back of the house with a chest freezer," said Ben. 

"We used to get meat and sell it from our freezer. The first week, we sold £50 of sausages and thought it was amazing.  

"Since then we have expanded. 

"In 2011, we expanded into a bigger farm shop and this year we have expanded the butchery to make a production area.

"We produce meat for the catering business and also for our online shop.

"We have more capacity now We process all of our own beef, lamb and pork on the farm and we sell everything through the farm shop, online shop or the catering business."

The catering side of the business is one area where they have thrived.  Edgbaston, for example, recently has signed a new long-term contract with Fordhall Farm Event Caterers to be the stadium’s official concession management company.

“There is a great vibe on a match day at Edgbaston and our street food offerings blend really nicely into that environment,“ said Ben.

“It feels like a genuine collaboration, being part of the Edgbaston team. We’re excited about the future working with such an iconic venue.

“We can’t wait for the summer, and the cricket season to now get underway!"   

The online shop is also thriving. 

"We have had a big investment into the online shop," Ben added. "We rebuilt the online site and improved its functionality. 

"Since we have done that we have seen a big increase in online sales, with people ordering for local and national delivery, all over the country. 

"Our meat is now reaching customers much further afield who can't visit the farm shop. 

"There is a big interest for a lot of those people in buying meat which is pasture fed so that's off cattle and sheep that only ever eat grass and from livestock reared naturally, sustainably from a small farm where it can all be traceable. 

"We sell obscure cuts as well as mainstream. So as well as sirloin and topside, we sell the offal and all of the fat off the beef and most of the bones." 

Ben is proud of what Fordhall Farm has achieved over the years. 

"You are so busy doing stuff so you don't think about what we have achieved," he said. 

"But when you do sit back, it is pretty amazing . 

"I never envisaged back then, when we started that we would come this far, to be honest with you."

So what is the secret behind the success? What makes it popular with customers and award judges? 

"I think what people see when they visit the farm is that not only do Charlotte and I care about what we do but so does the whole team," says Ben. 

"All of the team are so passionate about customer service and producing good quality. 

"It's the same with all the projects we do. It really comes across. 

"The customer base is building up all of the time. When we first started the farm, we got a lot of publicity with what we did which helped with customers getting to know we were here. 

"But it's been built up since by good word of mouth and people having good experiences. People enjoy what they buy from us. It's still growing and building every year."