It's one of the biggest farm shops in the north west, and The Hollies Farm Shop in the village of Little Budworth in Cheshire is also among the more luxurious. For the vast farm shop, bursting at the seams with a mountain of local produce, now even boasts a swanky champagne deli bar where you can sit and sample artisan boards while sipping a cold glass of fizz or beer.
The business has won countless awards over the years, ever since a cattle shed on the farm site was first converted into a retail shop by the Cowap family in the 1980s. Before that, the farm was known for its homegrown produce sold at the roadside with an honesty box for passing trade which was first started there back in 1959.
Being close to Delamere Forest in Cheshire it fast became a popular stop off for families and tourists visiting the area, and in recent years the site has now become a popular place to stay in itself - boasting five boutique log cabins in the neighbouring woodlands that guests can book to stay. They all offer their own outdoor terraces and hot tubs to enjoy a rural escape.
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The Cowap family still run the business, and in recent years the business has grown so rapidly that they also started a second site over in Lower Stretton, near Warrington. But it's at the original shop that you'll find the biggest selection and the eye-catching new deli bar as well as huge outdoor terrace where you can eat takeaways from the shop.
They also extended their offering with a "gift barn" in an adjacent building to the farm shop. The site's restaurant was closed during covid, offering a takeaway service instead and you'll find plenty of outdoor seating on the terraces next to fields where kids like to run and play.
The owners are hoping to reopen the coffee shops in due course, with the Lower Stretton farm shop to reopen its tearooms first in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, visitors can sample the Little Budworth shop's raft of local produce at the deli bar at the heart of the store.
There, you can opt for the nibbles board or cheese board for £10, charcuterie board or Cheshire Ploughman's board for £12 or a raft of nibbles and salads, as well as coffees and cakes. You can also order wines from the speciality selection from £5 a glass, or the house champagne for £10 a glass, while there's also a range of Manchester and Cheshire gins for £7 a glass.
Marketing manager Sarah Holland said: "As a business it has just grown and grown over the years, from the early beginnings as a roadside honesty box for the farm's homegrown veg back in 1959 where the young Cowap children would run out to help customers. The farmhouse is still on the site here, and the Cowap family still run it all.
"Now at the farm shop we offer produce from 75 local suppliers, including the likes of Mrs Darlington's Legendary Lemon Curd, Clotton Hall Dairy clotted cream and custards, Three Wrens Gin and the full butchery with meats from the Conwy Valley.
"We're known for all the cakes and bakery products and lots of sweet treats as well as all the artisan produce. The deli bar was relatively new pre-Covid, and it’s fabulous to have been able to re-launch it this year.
"It's just a great way for people to come in and sample some of the wealth of local produce we can offer here."
Some of the produce is still family grown, including a huge pumpkin field and Christmas trees for seasonal produce. And if you venture along the lane from the farm shop you will find the plush woodland lodges.
There are five in total, all with open-plan living areas, outdoor terraces and of course those hot-tubs looking out to the beautiful Cheshire woodland. The cabins sleep up to 4 or up to six people - with three night weekend breaks starting in price from £900.
Sarah says: "The family have always tried to develop the site to move with the times, and back in the day there was a caravan park here which brought people to the area. In 2009 they started building the log cabins in our own little woodland area, and the response has been phenomenal really.
"They're close enough for people to come and get food and drink from the farm shop as it's just a two minute walk. It's a great base for people to stay if they're visiting Delemare Forest with its wealth of attractions there now, as well as to Chester Zoo which is really popular with guests who come to stay."
Sarah said that it was in the early 2000s when the farm shop "really began to take off", and the fame of it has spread far and wide with visitors from across the country stopping off. It is believed to be one of the largest and longest-established farm shops in the north west.
How to get there
The Hollies Farm Shop main site is on Forest Road, Little Budworth, Cheshire, CW6 9ES. It is close to Tarporley, just off the A49, and around an hour's drive from Manchester, and 20 minutes from Chester.
The main shop is open Monday to Saturday 8.30am to 7pm and Sundays from 8.30am to 5pm. The deli bar inside is open Monday to Saturdays 10.30am to 5pm, and on Sundays 10.30am to 4pm.
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