Fodder Suppliers

Yockenthwaite Farm

Yockenthwaite Farm is farmed by the Hird family who are fifth-generation hill sheep farmers. The stunning farmhouse has been in the family since 1842 and this is where the award winning, now hugely successful granola started life.

Mum Liz would make the granola for guests who were staying in their farmhouse B&B. It was so popular, guests would ask for more to take out with picnics and Liz began to sell it at local farmers markets.

And what started as diversification, soon grew into a passion and beyond the confines of the farmhouse kitchen as the orders began to roll in. It became so successful, the family decided to stop running the B&B in 2009, to concentrate on granola.

The “Nutty Spelt Granola” is the best seller but the more recently created Ginger flavour is also a hot favourite – and in Fodder, we can’t fill the shelves fast enough. It’s a winner with our customers!

Read our blog about Yockenthwaite here.

Shepherds Purse Cheeses

Shepherds Purse Cheeses is passionate about producing nourishing, world class cheese from their family farm in the heart of North Yorkshire.

Caroline Bell and Katie Matten run the family business near Thirsk, where cheese is traditionally made, by hand, for retailers and restaurants across the UK – including Fodder.

The synergy between the Showground and Shepherds Purse spans decades as the business was launched 35 years ago by the late Judy Bell MBE from a trade stand at the Great Yorkshire Show.

The business has flourished over time, regularly winning a raft of national awards across its range of 11 cheeses, made from sheep milk, cow’s milk, water buffalo milk and most recently organic cow’s milk from Acorn Dairy.

Read our blog about Shepherds Purse here.

Spilmans Asparagus

Spilmans Asparagus is a family run operation close to the village of Helperby. Asparagus is cut from the peaceful fields of Pasture Lane (which was the original name of the asparagus business) by a hardworking team of pickers.

The growing season is between the end of March and June when on warm days, the asparagus bursts quickly through the loose soil. On the cool days, it may not move very much but on beautiful sunny days, a field that has been harvested first thing on a morning may well need cutting a second time in the evening – because it grows so rapidly you can almost see it happening.

After the army of pickers has cut the asparagus, boxes of the loose produce are brought to Lodge Farm where it is washed, trimmed, graded and packed into bundles for delivery by Richard and driver Malcolm. And once the asparagus season is done, it’s onto strawberries also supplied to Fodder until well into August. And it’s from these quiet fields that the delicious bundles of asparagus are sent out across the UK, including to Covent Garden … and a little closer to home at Fodder café and shop.

Read our blog about Spilmans here

Anna's Happy Trotters

The Longthorp family have been farming for four generations. Originally a purely arable farm growing crops, pigs were added to the mix some thirty years ago to make better use of the grain and straw they produce.

They set up breeding their pigs outside from the very beginning. Their pigs have been fully free range since 2007 and are outside from start to finish. There are only 1-2% pigs produced this way in the UK.

Anna’s Happy Trotters sell direct to butchers and farm shops to get closer to you.

The number one priority at Anna’s Happy Trotters is the welfare of their pigs and this is something they are very proud of.

Soanes

All of our whole chickens are supplied by the Soanes family and their farming neighbours on farms in and around the Yorkshire Wolds.

They use four generations of arable farming expertise to grow the finest wheat to feed their chickens and use their animal husbandry experience to produce exceptionally tasty chicken.

Soanes Red Tractor accredited, Great Taste award-winning grain fed chickens are reared in light, airy barns with bales to perch on and toys to encourage their natural behaviour and to develop social interaction.

The result of this welfare rich life is award winning, firm-textured, tasty and succulent chicken that tastes like chicken used to.

Cowling Family

Our beef comes from the Cowling family farm, which is just 3 miles down the road and we have worked with them since we opened – a great partnership!

The Cowlings have an average of 300 head of stock across the year, a small suckler herd plus 280 acres of cereals, which is fed to the cattle.

We only sell meat from farmers we know and trust and we make regular trips to our farms to ensure they meet our high standards in husbandry, welfare and quality.

Liddle Family

The Liddle family, our lamb supplier, are proud fourth generation Yorkshire lamb farmers, and have farming in their DNA. Dad, John has lived on the land in Stainburn his whole life and has taught children, Christina, William and Alice the family trade. Mum, Sue, keeps all the paperwork in check and also has a holiday cottage business.

In total around 1,600 lambs a year are reared over 350 acres of land under the iconic Yorkshire landmark of Almscliffe Crag, South Harrogate.

Animal welfare is important to Fodder and to so many of our customers, which is why we are keen to support farmers like John and his family.

Read our blog about the Liddle family here

Holme Farmed Venison

Yorkshireman Nigel Sampson returned to his roots in 1990 following two years as estate manager on the Isle of Jura on the West Coast of Scotland. Using his experience of farming and passion of deer, learned whilst on Jura he has created Holme Farmed Venison Parkland and Wild into a company that produces award-winning prime venison all year round from the many different species in their natural seasons.

Today this family run business, which has a great team of staff, a purpose-built production facility in Yorkshire and a herd of native red deer which he manages on his own farm and a number of associated farms.

Nigel’s farm is located in Sherburn in Elmet and has been supplying Fodder since 2011.

Herb Fed

Emma and Edward at Herb Fed recognise the importance husbandry plays in ensuring great tasting produce and knowing where your food comes from. Their turkeys are traditionally farmed, hand-fed and kept in small flocks so that they are truly free to forage for food and roam their Yorkshire pasture.

Their birds have something else rather special about them – their unique diet which includes over 10 varieties of fresh herbs.

Herb Fed Fodder Free Range Turkey Supplier

Staal Smokehouse

Staal Smokehouse was set up by Justin and his wife, Georgina Staal, who, in 2007, moved from London back to Georgina’s family farm in East Yorkshire. Staal Smokehouse is an award-winning, family- Run business dedicated to delivering the finest smoked products.

Surrounded by a rich array of high calibre farms enabling them to source most of their produce from within the county of Yorkshire. This means that not only is their produce quality assured, but less packaging and transportation also make it environmentally friendly.

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