Farndon Fields

What Farndon Fields does

Farndon Fields is a first-generation family-owned farm and farm retail business founded in 1983 by Kevin Stokes, operating a 550-acre mixed farm in Leicestershire alongside a purpose-built farm shop, on-site restaurant (Farmer's Kitchen), butchery, deli, bakery, and plant centre in Market Harborough on the Leicestershire/Northamptonshire border. The core product portfolio is homegrown fruit, vegetables, and potatoes (over 40 varieties grown in polytunnels and under a succession-planted seasonal calendar) sold directly in the farm shop the same day they are harvested, complemented by locally sourced British meat, dairy, drinks, and groceries. Underlying operations include temperature-controlled barn storage for year-round potato supply, dry-ageing cabinets for beef, and a milk vending machine supplied daily by partner Kingarth Farm Dairy.

The business serves local consumers and food enthusiasts in Market Harborough and surrounding villages through a direct-to-consumer physical retail model (Mon-Sun trading, 51-100 employees), with revenue derived from farm shop sales, restaurant covers, on-site butchery and deli counter sales, telephone-order home delivery (£3 local / £5 extended) and contactless drive-thru collection, plus secondary revenue from seasonal workshops, Farm to Fork tasting dinners, and community events. Distribution is single-site retail plus phone-based local delivery; e-commerce is limited to a Shopify store used primarily for event ticketing. The business is independently owned by the Stokes family with no external investors and was named national Farm Shop of the Year 2020 by the Guild of Fine Food.

Name

Farndon Fields

Legal name

Farndon Fields Farm Ltd

Website

https://farndonfields.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Farndon Fields is a family-owned farm and farm shop founded in 1983 in Market Harborough, UK, operating a 550-acre farm, purpose-built farm shop, and on-site Farmer's Kitchen restaurant selling homegrown produce and locally sourced British food to local consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Farm Shop & Farm Restaurant

NAICS

Vegetable and Melon Farming (1112), Fruit and Tree Nut Farming (1113), Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Farmstead & Local Artisan Food Markets (Retail Shops) (CRAHAGAO)

Keywords

• Farm shop retail
• Farm-to-table produce
• Farm restaurant dining
• Local food grocery
• Agritourism experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Market Harborough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Farm Shop Retail Sales: The core revenue stream is the farm shop selling homegrown produce (fruit, vegetables, potatoes) and an extensive selection of local and British food, groceries, bakery, frozen goods, drinks, and garden products.
2. Farmer's Kitchen Restaurant: The Farmer's Kitchen is an on-site farm restaurant serving breakfasts, lunches, and afternoon teas, generating food and beverage revenue from dine-in customers.
3. Local Delivery and Drive-Thru: Home delivery and drive-thru collection services for food orders placed by phone, generating revenue from local delivery charges (£3 local, £5 further afield).
4. Butchery and Deli Counter Sales: On-site butchery selling locally sourced and home-reared meat (Tamworth pork, lamb, beef), prepared cuts, sausages, marinades, and pork pies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Farndon Fields operates a 550-acre family farm alongside a physical farm shop and on-site restaurant (Farmer's Kitchen) in Market Harborough, Leicestershire. The farm shop sells over 40 varieties of homegrown fruit, vegetables, and potatoes, alongside an extensive selection of local and British food, groceries, bakery items, frozen goods, drinks, deli products, butchery items, and garden/plant products. The Farmer's Kitchen serves breakfasts, lunches, and afternoon teas prepared with farm-grown and locally sourced ingredients.

Product overview

Farndon Fields is a first-generation family farm and retail business founded in 1983, operating a 550-acre mixed farm in Leicestershire alongside a comprehensive farm shop and restaurant. The product portfolio centres on the Farm Shop as the core retail offering, complemented by the Farmer's Kitchen restaurant serving seasonal menus. The business integrates several specialized in-store departments—Butchery, Deli Counter, and Bakery—alongside the Garden (Plant Centre) and The Drinks Cupboard, all selling homegrown produce and locally sourced British food. Additional value-added services include the Farndon Fields Loyalty Card programme, Home Delivery and Drive-Thru Collection services, and seasonal Workshops and Farm Experience events. The business operates from Farm Shop of the Year 2020 (Guild of Fine Food) and Farm Restaurant of the Year 2016 (FARMA).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Farmer's Kitchen: The on-site restaurant/cafe serving breakfasts, lunches, and afternoon teas made with local and farm-grown produce.

Products and services

• Farm Shop Physical retail farm shop in Market Harborough selling homegrown produce from the 550-acre farm alongside an extensive selection of local and British food, including bakery, groceries, frozen goods, drinks, deli, butchery, and garden products.
• Farmer's Kitchen Restaurant

Quantifiable outcome

• Farm Shop of the Year 2020 in the Guild of Fine Food Awards — a national award with 36 finalists from across the UK
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Borough Alliance Youth Football TeamminorOthers · 1 January 2019Farndon Fields is a sponsor for the Youth Football Team at Borough Alliance in Market Harborough.
• Rocket Youth Sports Cheerleading ClassminorOthers · 1 January 2019Farndon Fields sponsors Rocket Youth Sports Cheerleading Class at Samworth TG Academy and Robert Smyth Academy. Rocket Youth Sports works to help children lead happy and healthy lifestyles through sport.
• Kingarth Farm Dairy (Burton Overy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFresh milk is delivered daily from Kingarth Farm dairy in Burton Overy, Leicestershire. The milk comes from a herd of 107 pedigree Holstein cows which are free-range and graze outside for at least 6 months of the year. The milk is pasteurised, unhomogenised, and delivered from grass to glass in under 3 hours. Sold through Farndon Fields' milk vending machine in the farm shop.
• Mick Skinner (Local Farmer, Theddingworth)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMick Skinner is a farming neighbour who has worked with Kevin for over 20 years. He rears some of his 1,000 sheep on Farndon Fields' farm, and Kevin grows some potato crops on Mick's land. Mick supplies the butchery with lamb that has been grazed on the Farndon Fields farm. Mick's lamb was featured at the Spring Farm to Fork Dinner.
• Warner Edwards Gin Distillery (Harrington)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerWarner Edwards is a local craft gin distillery based in Harrington, approximately 6 miles from Farndon Fields. They are a regular featured supplier at Farndon Fields tasting events and Farm to Fork dinners, serving their award-winning gins at the Warner Edwards Gin Bar. Featured at the Summer Farm to Fork Dinner 2016 and Christmas Shopping Evening 2019.
• Langton BreweryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal Leicestershire brewery supplying beer to Farndon Fields. Featured at Christmas Shopping Evening 2019 and Christmas Shopping Evening 2017, where staff talked customers through how they brew their different types of ales and bitters.
• Welland Valley VineyardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEnglish wine producer based in Market Harborough, described as one of the town's best-kept secrets. Featured at the Christmas Shopping Evening 2019 offering samples of their English wine, and included in the Farndon Fields Christmas Gift Guide 2019 gift packs.
• The Air Ambulance ServiceminorOthersThe Air Ambulance Service was selected by the Farndon Fields team as their charity of the year. The business raised over £1,300 by donating all 5p carrier bag sales. A volunteer from the charity came to receive the cheque.
• Market Harborough Community GroupsminorOthersIn 2019, Farndon Fields supported over 100 local groups, community fundraisers, and charity events. They host community groups for bag packing at the tills, sponsor the Borough Alliance Youth football team, and sponsor Rocket Youth Sports Cheerleading Class.
• Local Schools and Community Groups (Farm Visits)minorOthersFarndon Fields takes time to visit local schools and community groups to talk about growing food and welcomes schools onto the farm for educational visits showing the full food chain from field to fork. Visits involve walking through crops, hands-on picking, and getting muddy.
• Helen Tonner (Flowers at the Old School House)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal floral designer who co-hosts flower arranging workshops at Farndon Fields' Farmer's Kitchen. Hosted summer and autumn flower workshops in 2019 and a Christmas wreath making workshop.
• Millie Stone (Calligrapher)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal artist and calligrapher who hosted a Modern Calligraphy Workshop at Farndon Fields, teaching participants to create hand-lettered stationery and bespoke Christmas cards.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Cornish Dairy: Cornwall farm shop and food hall with butchery, deli, bakery, and cafe on a working farm. Comparable independent regional farm shop combining homegrown produce with restaurant and speciality counters.
• Bocketts Farm Shop: Surrey farm shop and farm-park experience combining retail of homegrown produce with a family visitor attraction. Comparable as a working farm operating both a farm shop and on-farm experiential offering, though more oriented toward family visitors.
• Welbeck Farm Shop: Nottinghamshire farm shop on the Welbeck Estate with butchery, bakery, deli, and Eatwell cafe. Comparable mid-sized estate-style farm shop with multiple food counters and dining under one roof, operating in the same East Midlands region as Farndon Fields.
• Darts Farm: Devon-based farm shop with deli, butchery, fishmonger, and restaurant on a working farm. Directly comparable to Farndon Fields' farm-shop-plus-restaurant-plus-butchery model and its focus on local sourcing and seasonality in a single regional location.
• Riverford Organic Farmers: Devon-based organic farm with national vegetable box delivery, farm shop, and restaurants. Comparable diversified farm business that combines homegrown produce with home delivery channels and food-service outlets—though it operates a much larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Cobbs Farm Shop: Hampshire/Cotswolds farm shop with butchery, deli, and cafe on a working farm. Comparable as a multi-counter farm shop with restaurant, kitchen garden, and home delivery—operates a sister-site model that Farndon Fields does not yet attempt.
• Leckford Farm Shop: Hampshire farm shop owned by the John Lewis/Waitrose Leckford Estate, selling Leckford-grown produce alongside local food. Comparable as an estate farm shop with homegrown fruit, vegetables, and flowers retailed through an on-site shop plus cafe.
• Craigies Farm Shop: Edinburgh-area farm shop with deli, butchery, restaurants, and farm experiences including pick-your-own. Comparable mid-sized farm-shop-plus-hospitality model with strong events and educational programming, similar to Farndon Fields' community outreach.
• Daylesford Farm: Cotswolds-based organic farm and farm shop with cafe, bakery, and restaurant, founded by Lady Bamford. Closely comparable as a vertically integrated farm-to-shop destination with premium positioning, restaurant, and home delivery/click-and-collect—operates at a larger scale in a similar UK county-shop model.

Others

• FARMA (National Farmers' Retail & Markets Association): UK trade body representing farm shops, farmers' markets, and farm retail. Adjacent / enabling peer: relevant because Farndon Fields is a FARMA award winner (Farm Restaurant of the Year, Farm Retailer of the Year) and participates in the same industry association and awards circuit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/farndonfieldsfs
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Farndon-Fields-Farm-Shop/278054588899349
• Instagraminstagram.com/farndonfields

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Farndon Fields