Exploring a Charming British Farm Store
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- Опубліковано 7 лип 2023
- Come with us to visit an award winning British Farm Store. While on a epic road trip to Scotland we stopped at Mainsgill Farm Store in Northern Yorkshire. Blair's mom enjoys a tour through the store as she explores the UK.
Store Address
Mainsgill Farm, Richmond DL11 7PN, United Kingdom
Website
www.mainsgillfarm.co.uk/
The Story of Mainsgill Farm
Newly married in 1995, we moved from Lancashire to Mainsgill Farm. It was a small 57 acre farm set up to fatten intensive pigs (1200) and fatten beef. At that time we also reared dairy replacements. Mainsgill was purchased with aspirations of farming in our own right.
Being a young couple setting up, we were highly mortgaged and with a downturn in all sectors of the farming industry through BSE, Blue Ear, etc., it was a difficult time. Highly mortgaged, increasing debts and ever decreasing cash flow, we had to find a way to survive and repay our debts.
Situated 4.5 miles west of Scotch Corner adjacent to the main Trans-Pennine route, we had an ideal position to set a farm shop up. Approximately 12000 vehicles travel past daily, with peak season increasing to 21000.
A local butcher slaughtered and cut our own home produced meats in 1997. We would pack our own meats on the kitchen table and go door to door selling in the local villages. At this stage farmers markets were starting to establish, we grew our name and reputation as further markets opened. We still attend farmer markets to date.
The Growth of Mainsgill Farm
As sales grew steadily, we pursued permission to build a stone built farm shop with our local authority. Many hurdles had to be crossed, especially with Highway Agency as our entrance leads directly onto the main A66. With successfully gaining permission in 1999.
At this time we had converted the garage at the side of the house to form a small shop and preparation room. We took on a part time butcher on an evening to cut our meat due to narrow margins. We packed the meat into the early hours as we had our farm work during the day.
Diversification at that time was a new concept, and it was a direction we took to survive. After restructuring the business’ finances and new support for the farm shop, building of which had commenced in February 2001, the foot and mouth outbreak occurred. The build was completed and opened in June of that same year.
The business keeps growing
In 2014, Mainsgill saw the completion of a two storey extension, creating a total of 20,000 sq ft to the building for tearoom, farm shop with butchery and gift shop; and employing up to 50 staff.
Our children are very much a part of all aspects the business and its development. Our passion and drive is to provide the highest quality home reared produce, keeping alive the farming culture of yesteryear for the future generations; maintaining our vision from the start over twenty years ago. All livestock are continually sold in-house through the farm shop and used in the tearoom.
In 2015 we welcomed Billy the bull to our farm, an 18 month old pedigree Limousin. In the future we are looking to breed our own calves from him, so we have selected the very best heifers for Bill to breed with.
The grass fed heifers are allowed to roam the fields until winter comes, when the cattle are then brought inside and fed silage (fermented grass).
Our grass fed heifers are reared to the highest standards of animal husbandry and welfare.
Our Latest Expansion - November 2020
During the year of covid lockdown and restrictions, our team of local tradesmen, suppliers and our team here at Mainsgill opened our newest expansion for November 2020. Our two story expansion houses extended retail space upstairs for our clothing and gift department, with an extended food hall area downstairs, with a new checkout for the food hall, new toilets, and kitchen expansion.
Our kitchen expansion with new food processing machinery is part funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
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Guy wanders around a farmshop, appreciating the good things he finds. And my faith in humanity is, somehow, restored.
I’ve been going to this store 10-15 years. The original store was just a few meats and a great cafe. They’ve put so much work and investment into the place, millions of £. They also employ a huge number of local people in an area which has faced tough times. The family who built this are heros.
Absolutely!
Mind you, didn't do them any harm when the Hairybikers did a show from there!
But I think the main stars are the camels, which can be seen from the A66 as you drive past. I've nothing but admiration for the guys that own the place, as you say, gives a load of people jobs.
I must add that just up the road a way is Ravensworth garden nurseries. Well worth a visit too. And and few miles further is another great little farm shop. They all need our support and cash if they are to survive.
Update
14.08.23. It is with a sad heart that I learned in the last couple of days that Ravensworth Nurseries suddenly shut down for good. That is so sad as they were brilliant. 😟
@@nicholaskemp2246 8:41
Love blue cheese ❤
We stop here on the journey from Scotland to visit friends in Yorkshire. It’s had a lot of changes over time but it’s a great store and restaurant. .
This blokes positivity is so infectious.
I admire that and hope he and his family enjoy the rest of their stay on our green and pleasant land.
Amen 🙏
I'm also American, Have lived in the UK for 35 years. My husband is black. Really glad we were able to raised our 5 children here in the UK. I love farm shops/garden centres. Sadly, haven't been to Scotland, that's on my bucket list!
I'm British and also love farm shops. Great to see someone from across the pond sharing that interest.
Some British small towns have been very innovative in trying to attract retail custom. As long ago as 2000, a town in Wales (Knighton, I think) organised all the small shops so that customers could shop in each (the butcher, the baker, grocer, greengrocer, confectioner, ironmonger, draper, stationer, bookshop, etc) on one tab, and pay at a kiosk at the car park before leaving. The scheme proved very successful in getting people to shop locally rather than drive to big box stores in nearby cities.
Clever idea. Hope it was successful and is still in place.
Introduce the kids to the wonderful Wallace and Gromit. They'll be demanding Wensleydale cheese by the end of the first movie 😁
I'm reading your comment eating cheesy Doritos and now... what am I doing with my life.I want Wensleydale! With the little fruit bits in! These crisps are ok but hardly a substitute!
Wensleydale cheese dating back to the 12th century was at an all time low sales wise before Wallace and Gromit. By 2005, its sales had rocketed and is once again one of Britain’s favourite cheeses. Wensleydale with infused fudge is just beautiful. Try it if you can !
That takes farm stores to a new level! Excellent place
This is my second home , travelling between Scotland and England, the dog even looks out for it now. It has expanded so much, it's so much better than a motorway stop. Love it that you've found it
Your enthusiasm for your new home is infectious.
I love this store. I live about 1/2 an hour from the store and go regularly. It's a great place for Christmas treats as they put all the Xmas goodies in there. It's so easy to spend a couple of hundred quid in there. The butchery section is in another league to the normal super markets.
Glad you came from America to enjoy our country and culture.
Have a great holiday. And keep posting great videos.
I can't get over how quiet it is. Whenever I go there, there are 3000 (slight exageration!) people there all jostling around the shop.
I was amazed how quiet it was too, I’ve never seen so much space.
They must have gone early in the morning because I thought the same! I usually go at 3 or 4 in the afternoon so it’s busy and the cheese section is never that full 😅
Such a lovely video, thank you Mac. It was just as though I was exploring the store with you and your MIL. What an an amazing place. 😊
What a great farm shop. I'm down in the Cotswolds (not on the main tourist trail) and am lucky to have four farm shops within 15-20 minutes of me, and I do almost all my food shopping between them. Especially meat and fresh produce, including unpasteurised fresh milk. These are farming family owned and run stores which are hugely popular locally. Generally we pay a little more for some of their produce, particularly meat, but am happy to do so since the quality is wonderful (not factory produced), and the farmers get better prices and not have their prices screwed down via the big box stores. It's such a treat to chat to them about their produce which they are knowledgeable and passionate about. And it all tastes much better.
What a lovely guy with such a dulcet voice. I almost fell asleep he was hypnotically charming and relaxing. That store's website had some poor reviews due to staff being uninterested in customers. Yet here was a great review from someone from a country were customer service counts. 👍
Farm shops began just as outlets for the farm's own, or at least local produce, but as you can see they developed into small shopping centres in their own right.
They're usually quite expensive, but the quality tends to be high and you can find things you won't find elsewhere.
Exactly, I don't mind paying a bit more to support our local farms. I pick and choose what I get from them, usually fresh meat, poultry especially, dairy, fruit and veg. As a cook it's been enjoyable preparing food in season.
Don’t be surprised at all this is England and we’ve travelled the whole world twice three times over and what we do is find things we like and bring them home.
i woke up this morning and i wasn't feeling very well. this video has really cheered me up. Its always nice when our friends from over the pond, appreciate our green and pleasant land. During the spring and summer, all 4 countries in the UK have real gems. Thank you for your excellent commentary. calm and relaxing voice. The only slight negative, are the prices. You have to expect to pay more in farm shops, because they are independent stores, but some of the prices are eye watering. hope you left the shop with a few dollars left in your wallet.
I hope you are feeling better. 😌
What an absolutely beautiful store!! ❣️
Love these stores, they are pricey but the quality of the products is worth it.
You are such a wholesome genuine guy with a great family. I want to wish you many more great adventures around the UK - having been born and bred in this green and pleasant land, I am constantly delighted by your discoveries and experiences, many of which are familiar to me, but taken for granted.
Wishing you all the greatest of adventures Sir!
Thank you so much!
I just spent half an hour watching an American guy look round a beautiful farm shop in Yorkshire...and it was a pretty great half an hour! The other person that said his enthusiasm and positivity is so infectious is 100% right. I watched him walk through a beautiful bright yellow rape field in the evening a while back and it was so nice to see someone enjoying such a simple thing in our country so much, that we so often take for granted. It was like seeing it again through fresh eyes.
Starving now,watching you go around.
What l love when l watch these videos now & again, is when you explore our uk as a whole. You find places like this that us brits would otherwise miss. Great video.
Glad you enjoyed it
We love our farm stores!
Welcome to my home Yorkshire enjoy your stay
I have to say that it has to be the most beautifully laid out store I've ever seen, and everything is super quality.
I’m from England & I found this really interesting, thank you! 👍
OMG, Mainsgill. I love this farm shop. We go there regularly, and have been for years. It’s great at Christmas. This is great
Wensleydale cheese? Fabulous with Christmas cake, if you want a really good mature cheddar then cave matured in the cheddar caves is Somerset, it bites back!
Dude, You were totally allowed to go through that first gate to get closer to the camels! If you asked the staff in the shop they would have shown you more! They have 3 camels, aswell as llamas, ostriches and loads more! They do allow kids to pet/feed some of the animals too.
Thanks. I wish I knew the day of. 🙂
Cool store, that place sold everything😯... I will definitely go there. Blair you are looking great just weeks after your twins. Enjoy your trip to Scotland guys, much love to you all❤❤♥
On the M6 in the Lake District there is Teabay and Westmorland servis stations they are privatly owned, not a fast food place in sight. The soup store does home made soups. There are a couple of eating choices but the food store is amazing with alot of home made pies etc. Remember this for another time.
Lovely video Mac. It’s nice to see the relationship you have with your MIL. It looks like she was in her element picking our furniture pieces she likes ❤
I love your enthusiasm and seeing things through your eyes. Hope you and your family had a happy holiday.
Amen brother God bless you ❤
Just subbed to your channel. Great video and you have a very good soft tone narration to your voice which made the whole vlog easy to sit through. Shop looks great too! You will LOVE Scotland, some of the highland areas and lochs ( lakes ) are out of this world jaw dropping. Nice to see other peoples perspective to Britain, hope our weather keeps up for you.
We do great farm shops in this country. Now you know what the US is missing. Glad that you enjoyed your visit.
Yes what a lovely country shop love the fresh food
What a gorgeous family
Great looking store. We've passed it a couple of times on our way up to Scotland and not taken a look. Definitely will next time! Thanks for sharing.
I love farm shops for their fresh produce and that one is absolutely fabulous. Thanks for posting this video. Kinda sad that I’m at the other end of the country, but maybe it’s just as well. I know I’d be in there practically every day if I lived nearer. Loved the assistant’s reaction to your beautiful baby. ❤😊
Nice guy enjoying the simple things in life.
Nice to see tourists supporting the little man and lical British businesses rather than the big corporate chains. Hats off and respect
Mac , you’re such a cool guy . Please come to Norwich in Norfolk… it’s a great city
I hope you enjoy your stay in the U.K.
All lovingly prepared in ye old farm kitchen.
I love farm shops 💖 I also love honesty boxes when I'm in the countryside 💖👍
The mum looks like she wa ted to buy the shop up ❤
Just a couple of miles from my house and it's awesome. Best lamb and mint sausages ever.
Welcome,welcome,welcome👍😃
we love going to mainsgill, we stop all the time and get our christmas meats there
I go past this farm shop on my travels to center Parcs and Blackpool. Always wanted to pop in. It’s only 30 mins from my house. Might pop in this week.
It’s like a Harrods version of a farm store..it has everything
Herdy - features Herdwick sheep - they look just like that - super cute. They are local to the Lake District. Oh and the Jack Rabbits are actually Hares 🤣
Thanks! I didn't know the sheep breed name.
I love Herdy stuff! Such great quality and fun. For me it's not a trip to the Lakes without popping into one of the Herdy shops! They're such adorable little sheep as you walk around too. Super athletic (I've seen them jump 6ft walls and climb on the roofs of cottages) and always look like they're smiling.
I was driving to Barrow the other day from Millom and as I drove through the Hill, a small hamlet there is a very large wall about 10/12 ft tall and I kid you not there was a bloody sheep just stood on top looking down like it was royalty. I nearly crashed my bloody car I was so taken aback. I have lived up here for 35 years and that’s the first time I ever saw that, I had heard about them doing that I always thought that it was an apocryphal tale.😂😂😂
A lovely video and nice to see Blair's mum exploring with you. It would be good if you explored West Wales. I saw you all went to Cardiff but that's just one very small part. I live on the top of the Gower Peninsular, the first area of outstanding natural beauty in the UK. Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion has some spectacular coastlines too.
I thought yall were in the U.S.A. but no yall are in England the United Kingdom far out. What A good store in Northern Yorkshire. Love from North Carolina.
At 6:06 the round black one (not in the basket) is THE BEST cheese you can buy, It's called Black Bomber if you have never had it you must get some it's an extra mature cheddar.
Thanks for the recommendation.
I agree! Lemon meringue pie.
Man you guys have seen more of the UK than I have!! And I was born here!!!!
I always like farms/farm shops. I live near a wide farm area so theres lots of farms selling things like potatoes, eggs ,corn, strawberries etc. Some do Halloween events with pumpkins too or have a corn maze
We grow our own produce, this year was a bumper year for Strawberries, we made a lot of preserves! I also bake a lot, breads, cakes, pies, tarts. Father was a master baker so. This is a great farm shop. Enjoy you time in Scotland! Land of my ancestors, the “Johnston Clan” ferocious boarder clan that protected Scotland from invaders. 😃👍👍👍👍
If you are looking for a fun place for kids, vist the Cheshire Ice Cream Farm. They have the worlds largest ice cream parlour. They have a fun ice cream themed play area too. Its free to get in and use the playground and ice cream parlour and restaurant but you buy tickets for things like the miniature golf and go karts
Oh i love the farm shops ! Hope you have a good trip to Scotland. Hopefully you bought some goodies, including flavoured gin. Homesick now 😅😅😅❤
Love these kinds of places, we have quite a lot of them scattered around here in England.
I think I could spend a week in this one! 😄
I have stopped many times at Mainsgill's on my way to Glasgow for work.
Going from the A1 to the M6, the farm is on the A66 a few miles from Scotch Corner
It was the first proper stop on a long drive, a good, proper, cup of tea and a bacon roll.
The staff were always efficient and friendly.
Its expanded since I started having my "Pit Stop" and I don't need to go to Glasgow so much, and even though its grown, the tea and the bacon roll and staff are just as good.
Far better than stopping at a generic and expensive service area at Scotch Corner.
The sausages they have from the local butchers are amazing
Herdy is named after the Herdwick sheep in Cumbria
Hello from another American in Scotland!
Thanks for sharing this, I live in North Wales UK, this shop is well worth the trip to go there, just need to make sure I have plenty of money to spend there.
You are living my dream
I think she hinted she wants an ice cream haha. Glad you enjoyed the UK and Great Vid!
Mug of that coffee or a tea with some of that strawberry jam with clotted cream on scones or on top a nice buttered toast.. Perfect morning. Gentle soul and that baby is so cute bless
Great video. A nice shop I'll definitely go to next time in the area! Next time you are in a shop like that look for Wimberry or Billberry pie. The berries grow on the high ground of the north of England, especially in the Pennines. You will never see them for sale in a supermarket though as they are not collected commercially. They are sorta like blueberries but with a unique taste. In a pie: Delicious!
Hope you enjoy your trip!!
You may be shocked to know that most wimberry pies in the UK are now made with imported Polish berries.
@@timelord5920 Disappointing to hear that. I've picked them on the moors in the past. S
Don't know about where you are but they are quite hard to find here in Manchester.
I don’t know whether they still do, but Morrisons used to sell tinned bilberries.
so glad you enjoy the countryside - although this morning I was chasing a mouse around the living room this morning that didn't want to go back outside
theres lots of these farm shops in west yorkshire, the views are incredible and the food is super fresh and local. i go there sometimes i love their baked goods
Been here once before! From North Yorkshire
Omg I would love this shop!!! The food looked incredible.
I live not far from here. You've made me want to visit again.
Lovely family
You are so kind
wow this farm store blew my mind !! just had to watch the video over and over !! really hope to see you and the family revisit it on your journey back !!
hope the weather is kind to you in scotland, you and your family truly deserve it !!
lol iwas waiting for you to say a camel..iwas in spitting distance from it......just hope it was a chilled out camel...and those cakes n ice cream looked real nice..hope the new ones are doing well and hey grans here too ..hope she is also enjoying her stay
We pop into this shop every time we go to the lakes, gorgeous shop and restaurant.❤️
Gorgeous shop!
It really is!
Know this place well, great place to stop off at.
Love these videos, this channel offers such easy watching and enjoyable videos that other channels just don’t have. Keep it up family!
We need more like this love this tour thank you for sharing.
I love the little store very very nice!
Been here many times, food is amazing. Its grown over the years x
what an amazing store
Welcome to the UK, enjoy your trip!
Ooh I loved this, especially the garden green couch/settee, so fresh & inviting. Wish I could be there!!
Always so positive and upbeat. :))
Great video. I live less than 30 minutes from Mainsgill.
What a lovely video , thankyou for sharing .
Hey man, that was 'fresh'. Power to you!
Thanks for highlighting this - always zoomed past this on previous journeys along the A66. Next time will try to stop by. Safe journey.
A wonderful video, showing everyone some of the best of British shopping .
And so nice to see some of the family ,I haven`t looked at your videos lately ,must have a catchup .
We love a good farm shop 😊
Fabulous video. What an amazing shop. Keep up the good work
I'm loving this guy he's lovely, new subscriber here and I'm happy you came over to our beautiful country ❤ enjoy your family trip to Scotland ❤
Thanks for subbing!
What a wholesome video 🙌
Been there years ago, no upstairs then. The place is massive now ,thanks for sharing & must go back.