The best farm shops in Essex
4.8 from 1,445 reviews across 8 farms
Organised lists 8 farms in Essex, including 8 farm shops, 6 butchers and 2 egg farms. 6 deliver to your door.
4.8 from 1,445 reviews across 8 farms
Organised lists 8 farms in Essex, including 8 farm shops, 6 butchers and 2 egg farms. 6 deliver to your door.
Boydells Dairy FarmRaw milk · Braintree4.8 (1059 reviews)Boydells Dairy Farm is a small working sheep dairy at Wethersfield, five miles north of Braintree in the north Essex countryside. It is run by the Threadgold family, Roy and Cherry, with their son Kiley now in charge, and sheep milk has been produced here since 1987. The farm covers 42 hectares, all of it grass grown to feed the animals, some of it cut for hay. Around 300 milking ewes and their offspring make up the bulk of the livestock, alongside cattle, goats, pigs and poultry, plus a pony, a donkey and a llama.
Milking takes place in a modern rapid exit parlour in batches of 18 ewes, and the family make their prize winning cheese Plumley, yogurt in various flavours and their well known Yoggipops sheep yogurt ice lollies. Their milk also goes to other cheesemakers, including the makers of Lord of the Hundreds. They are members of the British Sheep Dairying Association. The farm is open to the public from April to the end of August with guided, hands on tours that include the sheep milking, and there is a small shop selling refreshments and dairy produce, a picnic and play area and free parking.Thomas Joseph ButcheryMeat · Brentwood4.8 (239 reviews)Thomas Joseph Butchery is a butcher's shop at Coxtie Green Farm in Brentwood, founded by Tom Joseph and built around dry aged, grass fed beef and ethically sourced meat. The counter and online store run from grass fed and dry aged beef through Golden Herd UK Wagyu to free range pork, Iberico and Basque Ibaiama pork, grass fed lamb and free range poultry.
Beyond the meat there are artisanal cheeses, organic dairy and butter, raw honey and smoked and cured produce. You can visit the shop in person or order online for nationwide delivery, with next day delivery on orders placed by 11am Wednesday to Saturday.Deersbrook FarmMeat · Braintree4.6 (66 reviews)Deersbrook Farm is a family run farm at Shalford Green near Braintree in Essex, producing 100% grass fed British beef and rare breed, free range pork. The beef is PFLA certified and matured for 28 days, and the farm runs its own butchery and farm shop on Littles Lane.
Buy at the shop, or order meat boxes for collection or national delivery, from a taster box up to larger family selections. There are also dinner kits, BBQ packs and a monthly meat box that adds local free range chicken, lamb and wild game to the farm's own beef and pork.
Lauriston FarmMeat · Maldon4.7 (29 reviews)Lauriston Farm is a charitable, community owned biodynamic farm on the Blackwater Estuary at Goldhanger in rural Essex, where staff work alongside adults with a learning disability in every part of farm life, from the veg garden to the craft room. The whole farm is certified biodynamic, and its rare breed Shetland cattle and North Ronaldsay sheep are 100% pasture fed.
Two acres of vegetables supply a box scheme, three markets a month, the farm shop and Manningtree Wholefood Store, and the animals provide grass fed beef and lamb, organic undyed knitting yarn and sheepskins. Open days, educational walks and courses in biodynamics run through the year, and the gardens, fields and facilities are all wheelchair accessible.
Brick Kiln FarmMeat & eggs · Colchester4.9 (19 reviews)Brick Kiln Farm is a farm on Turkey Cock Lane at Stanway, on the edge of Colchester, with a farm shop selling fresh, homegrown and locally sourced produce. What is on the shelves follows the seasons, so the pick changes through the year as crops come ready.
Alongside its own growing, the shop stocks goods from producers nearby, keeping money in the local farming community. It is an in person shop, open mornings from Monday to Saturday. The farm's own website is a coming soon page for now, so a quick look at their Facebook page before a special trip is worth it.
Wild & Rooted Humphreys FarmMeat · Chelmsford4.9 (13 reviews)Wild and Rooted Farming raises grass fed beef, pasture raised chicken and KellyBronze Christmas turkeys at Humphreys Farm in Great Waltham, near Chelmsford in Essex. The cattle move frequently to fresh pasture in the manner of wild herds, a way of grazing that improves soil health and biodiversity while keeping the animals happy and healthy, with full traceability from field to plate.
Order online for courier delivery, local delivery on Friday mornings, or collect from the farm on Saturdays between 10am and 12 noon, when walk ins are welcome. Alongside beef in every cut the shop lists pies, bone broth, beef dripping, biltong, honey from the farm and dog bones.
Magness Farms ButcheryMeat · Saffron Walden5 (11 reviews)Magness Farms Butchery is a family run farm butchery at Taylors Barns in Wimbish, near Saffron Walden. High animal welfare sits at the centre of how the farm operates, and the counter carries the farm's own produce alongside beef, chicken, pork and lamb, from 28 day dry aged ribs and sirloins to burgers, sausages and marrow bones.
Order meat boxes and individual cuts through the online shop, or visit in person Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 4pm and Saturday, 9.30am to 2.30pm. Private butchery and refrigerated trailer hire are offered as well.
Sarah Green's OrganicsEggs · Southminster4.3 (9 reviews)Sarah Green's Organics grows seasonal organic vegetables at Mark Farm in Tillingham, out on the Essex coast. Their own Tillingham grown produce anchors a range that takes in fruit, fresh herbs and spices, mushrooms and eggs, all picked and packed fresh, like a farmers market in a box.
Ordering runs through the online shop, with vegetable boxes in several sizes that come with the farm newsletter and a weekly recipe, or you can build your own order item by item. Boxes are delivered across a local area and to a network of collection points, with the details on the website.Rebuilding the food system, from the farm up
