'Cute' farm shop with 'sell out' product people drive 'from far away' for

Owners of a "cute" farm shop on the Wirral say their beef sells out "within eight hours" with customers coming "from far away" to get their hands on it. The family of husband and wife Mick and Francesca Russell have had Old Oaks Farm near Neston for a "long, long time" and the couple took over the reins in 2010.

After taking over, they began to sell their own produce from the land. Francesca told the ECHO: "The shop opened about five years ago but we were selling at the gate before then. We had an honesty box but we had to get rid of it because people kept taking the eggs, which was quite aggravating.

"The shop we have now is round, which is really cute; it’s an old feed silo which has been converted. We’re a working farm, so we have cows, loads of chickens and some peacocks as well - and that’s basically what we sell.

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"We have loads of local produce, we sell our own eggs, our own beef. There’s lots of little pocket farms around which make lovely produce and we are an outlet for those people.

"We have people who shop here, who drive from far away because everything we buy is class one and it tastes beautiful. It’s all about food, and food is amazing; we have to eat three times a day, so why not have really nice food? When I get my beef in, we sell out within eight hours."

Francesca says that farming is becoming "more difficult" and she believes that shops like theirs are "really important". She continued: "Farming is becoming more difficult due to the weather, all the red tape things and stuff with the government. It has got a lot more difficult for everyone and there’s been a ripple effect.

"I think local farm shops are really important; our little shop helps fund the farm and our cows are really well looked after. They’re grass-fed, do not have any antibiotics, and are born and bred on this farm.

"Also, when it’s all done on a big scale, you lose a connection with what the produce is and how it’s grown. If someone asks me for rhubarb, I’ll go into the farm and get some, and if we run out of eggs, all I need to do is get some from the hens.

"And the connection with the people is really special; I have the most gorgeous customers, I really love them and it’s so important to listen to them to see what’s going on in their lives and making sure that they’re okay."

Old Oaks Farm Shop is open Tuesdays (10am-4pm), Friday (10am-4pm) and Saturday (10am-4pm). It can be found at Leighton Rd, Parkgate, Neston CH64 3SW.