It’s our last Friday Farms before Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend 2016! We hope you have enjoyed our series looking at different sectors of farming.
Today’s focus is on farm shops. When you visit our participating farms, you get a better appreciation of the effort and skill that the farmer has used to produce the various types of food and drink. One way to support these farms all year round is to buy produce from farm shops, where you know the product is local.
Hillstown Farm have been regular participants in Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend. Their shop is open Monday to Saturday at 128 Glebe Road, Randalstown. They sell home-produced great tasting dry aged beef, lamb, Rare Breed pork and free range chickens and eggs. Also for sale is local fruit and veg, buns, cakes and sauces to complement any meal. In addition to visiting the shop, you can have meat delivered to your door or visit their stand in St George’s Market every Saturday in Belfast.
As well as being home to a goat herd, Broughgammon Farm have their own artisan on-site butchery, run seasonal cookery, butchery and wild game classes and have a farm shop selling the best of Northern Irish and Irish produce. They also deliver meat boxes all over Ireland and the UK. As well as being open during Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend, the shop is open Tuesday to Friday from 10am-5pm, all year round, at 50 Straid Road, Ballycastle.
Forthill Farm in County Armagh sells a wide range of Rare Breed pork and beef, bred on the farm and butchered on site. Run by Kenny Gracey, you will find many Rare Breeds on the farm such as Tamworth and Old Gloucester Spot pigs as well as Longh
orn cattle. Specialities in the shop include dry cured bacon and gammon using the old traditional methods, and succulent pork roasts and belly of pork. The shop, based at 80 Ballymore Road in Tandragee, is open Monday to Saturday 9am to 5.30pm and late nights on Thursday until 7.30pm.
You can find out more information about all of our farms over on our farm section.
Did you know?
Hillstown Farm also has a microbrewery which produces stout which is fed to our happy cows and provides very succulent and tender Kobe style beef. The beef is all dry aged for 28 days on the bone and butchered by the team at Hillstown Farm. Silverside and Topside are great roasting joints for any special occasion or even for making an awesome beef sandwich!
