A Scottish farmer is enjoying continued success with her farm-based butchery and farm shop business despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Louise Urquhart has run Louise’s Farm Kitchen at Milton of Auchinhove, Lumphanan, Banchory, for the past five years.
“It started after doing a hog roast,” said Mrs Urquhart.
“We finished our first eight pigs and did a few meat boxes to friends and family. We are now finishing around 150 pigs a year, alongside 75 sheep and a handful of cattle.”
Although the core of the business is its free-range pork and Scotch Lamb production, plans are underway to develop a pasture-raised chicken enterprise due to demand from customers.
“We have a lot of loyal customers, many of whom have been with us since the early days,” added Mrs Urquhart.
“We were really concerned when the pandemic started as all of our farmers markets and events were getting cancelled, however the demand for our door-to-door deliveries really took off and we adapted our monthly pop-up shop to just a click and collect service which worked really well.”
She said the business has achieved a lot in the past five years, including construction of its own on-farm butchery last year and winning two Great Taste awards for its Merguez sausages and cider-cured gammon.
“All we can hope is that he business continues to thrive and continues to go from strength to strength,” added Mrs Urquhart.
As part of the next pop-up farm shop event – on Saturday October 2 – Mrs Urquhart is hoping to welcome new visitors to Louise’s Farm Kitchen as it takes part in the Provenance Festival.
The event, which runs from September 24 to October 3, is focused on food tourism and educating people about the farm to fork journey.
“We would like to see some new folk venture out to the farm and get a feel for what we are about,” said Mrs Urquhart.
“Our regular monthly customers love coming along each month and seeing the changing seasons in the fields, from the wee lambs dancing in the fields in the spring time to the piglets rooting about in the fields and enjoying windfall apples in the autumn.”
Full details about the Provenance Festival are online at visitabdn.com/cp/provenance-festival/