Born and bred in Yorkshire, Christine and Steve bought 65 acres in 2005. At first a field, with no gateway, no drive, and no animals, the couple set to work creating their forever home and became first generation farmers.
As a result, The Baggins was born.
After many years of breeding pigs and producing free range pork and lamb, they decided to step back from commercial farming due to disagreeing with the principles. Instead, they began small scale production of their free-range pork and lamb, and extended into poultry, producing both free-range chicken and turkey as well. Their love of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings led them to name their meat after characters in the novel, creating Pippins Pork, Legolas Lamb, and Proudfoot Poultry.
After gaining experience at the local farmer’s and artisan markets in Leyburn, Masham, Richmond, Hovingham, and more, business expanded from just meat to working with other local producers. This led to the creation of Farm Gate Farm Shop and Free-Range Butchery in 2018, selling locally produced Organic fruit and veg, bakery, honey, cereals and dairy, and much more.
When the pandemic hit in March 2020, plans somewhat changed, and their intention to open the shop on farm was postponed due to their daughter, Rhiannon being high risk for Covid. Focusing on delivering to those most in need, Steve and Christine along with Rhiannon increased their local deliveries, and in the process were awarded the 'Hambleton Heroes' award for their dedication.
After struggling to find a reliable supplier of milk and dairy in glass bottles, they moved onto producing their own dairy. Due to years in the farming community, Steve found a local dairy farmer who could supply them with organic milk that could be pasteurised by Steve on farm, producing unhomogenised organic milk as well as organic butter and cream, all in reusable glass bottles and terracotta pots.
Eventually, it became apparent that customers wanted a more extensive range, so as well as continuing to work with local suppliers, the range expanded to include products from further afield in Scotland, Lincolnshire, Cumbria, and Oxfordshire.
Now, with over 500 products changing seasonally, Farm Gate provides nationwide delivery as well as local delivery of all their products and hope to open the on farm shop in 2022 (covid depending).