Family-run organic dairy farm in Peak District opens new shop

Hassop Family Farm at Hassop prides itself on sustainable farming and is embracing the demand for organic products.

Charlotte Kirkland, who manages the shop at the farm, said: "We've had fantastic reviews from customers and overall it is proving to be very successful. We have a new shiny milk vending machine which dispenses organic pasteurised non-homogenised milk and milkshakes, which the kids love! We also sell raw organic milk and have a coffee machine too. Apple juice is produced from apples handpicked from the farm. Ice cream is a big hit, using our own organic milk we’ve partnered with another local business, Matlock Meadows who kindly produce it for us."

Maintaining family at its heart, Charlotte’s husband, Adam, has created the farm shop over the past 18 months. A grant from Peak District National Park through the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FIPL) programme has helped towards the costs of setting up the new shop.Bob and Judy Dilks run the farm with their children Ross, Charlotte and Megan. Bob said: "Investing in the shop and the new equipment has created a great sense of joy and has helped bring the next generation into the future of the farm. Locals love the new fresh look and we never get tired of meeting new and old customers, there’s a huge sense of pride in producing delicious organic milk and sharing it directly to the public."

There are zero food miles as the shop is just metres from the dairy where the farm's grass fed herd of Jersey, Friesian and Montbéliarde cows are milked.

Charlotte said: "We are quite unusual in that the cows are only milked once a day which makes a huge difference for the cows and us. We milk the ladies at 6am and then they are free to roam the clover rich fields for the rest of the day and night, just as nature intended. All our fields are organic so we do not use any pesticides, herbicides or artificial fertilisers. Being organic we meet the highest welfare standards for our animals on the farm. We strongly believe happy cows produce the best milk!"

The majority of the milk is sold to Arla and the McDonalds fast food chain. Bob and Judy have been tenant farmers for 33 years. They are elated to see the whole family working together, eager to welcome new customers and are excited about the future.