Two years ago this Friday, family-run business Oak House Farm launched an on-farm butchery in the village of Sproughton, with the ethos of providing top quality, locally produced food at reasonable prices. Since the opening a lot has happened, but the business is now going from strength-to-strength.
Run by husband and wife team Ben and Georgina Woolf, the range available in the shop has expanded since the initial opening, but with focus remaining on the core meat products. As Ben explains “There are a number of really good general farm shops in the area already. We wanted to be a bit different and concentrate on running a butchery where our home grown Red Poll beef and Old Spot pork are the star of the show.” In addition to their own beef and pork, the business now also stocks local lamb and hogget, local free-range eggs, high welfare chicken and a range of ready-meals and sausage rolls made using home-reared beef and pork.
The Woolf’s have been surprised and delighted by the enthusiasm that customers have for the products that they offer. Georgina commented “Whilst a global pandemic was not in our initial business plan, the pause in everybody’s hectic lifestyle in 2020 gave people a chance to re-evaluate priorities and find new things. We remained open throughout all of the lockdowns and are pleased to see that customers who found us during those difficult periods are now regulars in the shop.”
Next on the list of issues to tackle is finding a butcher for the next generation. The business is fortunate to have two excellent butchers at present, but with the average age of butchers in the UK now reported to by 59, the family was keen to fill a future gap. Ben and Georgina are delighted the butchery’s shop and production assistant Hayley has taken up the opportunity to train as a butcher. Not only does this help to bring some younger blood into the trade, but as Georgina puts it “It is fantastic to be able to redress the gender balance somewhat in the still very male dominated industries of agriculture and butchery.”
More information on the range of products available from Oak House Farm is available at www.oakhousefarm.co.uk. The butchery is open to the general public on Wednesday, 9am – 3pm, Friday, 9am – 5pm and Saturday, 10am – 4pm and the business offers free delivery within a 6 mile radius from the farm.
About Oak House Farm
Oak House Farm in Sproughton, Suffolk, produces rare breed meat raised on industry-leading high-welfare systems honed over many years. The farm is run by Georgina and Ben Woolf, and sells affordable fresh and frozen meat from their on-site butchery.
Boasting unrivalled traceability, all pork and beef sold is reared on the farm and fed predominantly with feed also grown on the farm, keeping food miles to a minimum. Third party suppliers for lamb and poultry are carefully selected to meet the farm’s strict traceability and welfare criteria.
The farm is known for its rare and traditional breeds including Suffolk Red Poll cattle and the heavily endangered Large White pigs .
Keen to preserve local wildlife, the team farm in a way that preserves their environment, maintaining hedges, encouraging wildlife and protecting the soil. One example of the farm’s conservation efforts is the thriving owl community around the farmyard.
An active part of the community, Oak House Farm provides opportunities for those seeking a career in agriculture and currently employs four people. Local suppliers are used wherever possible.
Oak House Farm in Sproughton, Suffolk, produces rare breed meat raised on industry-leading high-welfare systems honed over many years. The farm is run by Georgina and Ben Woolf, and sells affordable fresh and frozen meat from their on-site butchery.
Boasting unrivalled traceability, all pork and beef sold is reared on the farm and fed predominantly with feed also grown on the farm, keeping food miles to a minimum. Third party suppliers for lamb and poultry are carefully selected to meet the farm’s strict traceability and welfare criteria.
The farm is known for its rare and traditional breeds including Suffolk Red Poll cattle and the heavily endangered Large White pigs .
Keen to preserve local wildlife, the team farm in a way that preserves their environment, maintaining hedges, encouraging wildlife and protecting the soil. One example of the farm’s conservation efforts is the thriving owl community around the farmyard.
An active part of the community, Oak House Farm provides opportunities for those seeking a career in agriculture and currently employs four people. Local suppliers are used wherever possible.
