This guide compares four Herefordshire farm shops, one in each quarter of the county: Oakchurch Farm Shop at Staunton on Wye, west of Hereford on the road to the Golden Valley; the nest at Little Verzons Farm, just outside Ledbury; Pengethley Farm Shop at Peterstow, near Ross-on-Wye; and Quarry Farm Shop at Luston, just north of Leominster. Each has a different strength, from home-grown strawberries and beef to handmade Scotch eggs. The useful question is which shop has the food you need, and where it was grown.
As a Londoner, I know it is not realistic for everyone to live on a farm. A farm shop, farmers' market or community garden can be part of a more direct food routine. Start with a reachable stop and a short list, rather than expecting to change everything at once.
Which farm shop or picking farm should you choose?
Herefordshire is a large rural county, so the nearest shop is usually the sensible choice. From Hereford, Oakchurch is a short drive west along the A438 Brecon road and is the biggest of the four, with a butchery, food hall, restaurant and garden centre under one roof. Ledbury and the east of the county are served by Little Verzons, best for its own Scotch eggs, pies and a café lunch. In the south, Pengethley near Ross-on-Wye is a strong choice for a full butchery and fresh bakes, and in the north Quarry Farm Shop at Luston is the one for meat reared by the family itself.
If you want food grown or reared by the shop’s own farm, Oakchurch (soft fruit, beef and lamb) and Quarry Farm (beef, lamb, pork and poultry) say most about it on their websites. At every shop, ask at the counter which items are from the farm itself and which come from other local producers.
Check the farm’s current crops, opening times and prices before travelling. Picking seasons vary, and a farm shop may sell produce without offering pick-your-own visits.
- Oakchurch Farm Shop , Family farm shop on the Brecon road since 1970
- The nest at Little Verzons Farm , Home of the Handmade Scotch Egg Co
- Pengethley Farm Shop , Butchery and bakery near Ross-on-Wye
- Quarry Farm Shop , Family-reared meat just outside Leominster
Oakchurch Farm Shop
Map and location
Brecon Road, Staunton On Wye, Hereford, HR4 7NH. View Oakchurch Farm Shop on the map.
Contact: 01981 500 125.
From a roadside strawberry shed to home-reared beef
Oakchurch was started by Edward and Ros Price, both from Herefordshire, who grew strawberries for pick-your-own and opened a farm shop in 1970 in a little wooden shed at the side of the road. Beef fattened on the farm was later sold there too, which led to larger premises, and the business is still family-owned. The shop’s beef is grass-fed and comes from the family farm next to the store, from a Hereford-Charolais cross herd, and its Charollais lamb comes from the family farm at Bredwardine. Soft fruit, including its strawberries, is grown and picked on the Oakchurch farm.
Today it is a large shop with in-house butchers who make sausage meat, faggots and burgers, plus free-range pork and poultry from Packington’s and seasonal game. The food hall and deli carry over 90 cheeses, including Monkland, Neal’s Yard Ragstone and Crafty Cow Cheddar, with daily bread from Peter Cooks Bread and the shop’s own pies and ready meals. There is also a restaurant, a garden centre, homeware, toys and clothing.
Visiting and buying
The shop’s website gives opening hours of Monday to Saturday 9:00 to 17:30 and Sunday 10:30 to 16:30, closed on Easter Sunday. The restaurant opens Monday to Saturday 9:00 to 16:45 and Sunday 10:15 to 16:00, with hot food served until 15:00. Visit Herefordshire also lists closures on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, so check before a holiday trip. Staunton on Wye is west of Hereford on the A438 towards Brecon. Summer is the time for its own strawberries, and the butchery counter can tell you which beef and lamb is from the family farm.
Oakchurch Farm Shop: website and opening hours.
The nest at Little Verzons Farm
Map and location
Little Verzons Farm, Hereford Road, Ledbury, Herefordshire HR8 2PZ. View The nest at Little Verzons Farm on the map.
Contact: 01531 670816.
Scotch eggs, pies and charcuterie made by the family business
Little Verzons is the home of the Handmade Scotch Egg Co, which Penny and Neil Chambers started in 2002. They made their first farmers’ market sale at the Teme Valley Market in June 2003, moved from their home kitchen into a small unit in 2005 and into a larger shed in 2008. The nest opened at the farm in 2014 as a shop front and café for the Scotch eggs, replacing their farmers’ market stalls. The range now includes sausage rolls, quiches, pork pies, salami and chorizo, made at the business’s own kitchens, and the farm describes 14 acres of rewilding countryside and orchards.
The farm shop and deli sells the Little Verzons range, including its Scotch eggs, Munsley quiche, Regatta pies and charcuterie, alongside seasonal vegetables, cheeses, bread, cakes and pet treats. The café cooks to order, serving breakfast, lunch, homemade cakes and a children’s menu, and says it uses local growers and producers wherever possible. Several independent businesses also trade from the site, including Newent Plant Centre and Padstow Fish Stall.
Visiting and buying
According to the farm’s website, the farm shop and deli are open Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm, and the coffee shop Monday to Saturday 9am to 4pm and Sunday 10am to 3.30pm. Breakfast is served until 11.45am and lunch until 2pm (3pm Friday to Sunday). The farm is about three miles west of Ledbury on the Hereford road. The businesses that share the site keep their own hours, and it is worth asking which vegetables and fruit are local when you visit.
The nest at Little Verzons Farm: website and opening hours.
Pengethley Farm Shop
Map and location
Pengethley Farm Shop, Peterstow, Ross-on-Wye HR9 6LL. View Pengethley Farm Shop on the map.
Contact: 01989 730430.
An award-winning butchery with meat matured on site
Pengethley Farm Shop stands at Peterstow, a few miles north-west of Ross-on-Wye, and describes itself as an award-winning Herefordshire farm shop and butchery. Its meat comes from family and local farms, and its beef, from breeds including Hereford, Angus, Shorthorn, Longhorn and Welsh Black, is grass-fed, reared by traditional methods and matured on site for 28 days. Lamb comes from local grass-based farms and pork from local suppliers. The website does not give a history of the farm or say which animals are reared by the shop’s own family, so ask the butchers if that matters to you.
The butchery cuts meat to order and makes its own sausages, with flavours that change weekly, and hand-pressed burgers, with game such as venison, pheasant and partridge in season. Cakes, pastries, sausage rolls, pies and quiches are made on the premises, some using the shop’s own meats. The shop also sells fruit and vegetables, cheeses, deli goods and drinks, with Wye Valley strawberries, asparagus and rhubarb in season.
Visiting and buying
The shop’s contact page gives opening hours of Monday to Saturday 8.30am to 5pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm, closed on Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. The same page also shows a Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 2pm line without a heading, which may relate to deliveries, so ring ahead if you are planning around it. Peterstow is on the A49 between Ross-on-Wye and Hereford, so the shop is easy to combine with either town. Late spring is the time for local asparagus and early summer for Wye Valley strawberries.
Pengethley Farm Shop: website and opening hours.
Quarry Farm Shop
Map and location
Quarry Farm Shop, Luston, Leominster, Herefordshire, HR6 0AW. View Quarry Farm Shop on the map.
Contact: 01568 613156.
Beef, lamb, pork and poultry reared by the family
Quarry Farm and its shop are both family-run. Lewis and Sarah rear the stock on the farm, Richard runs the shop and butchery counter, their mum cooks cakes, pies and ready meals in the kitchen using the farm’s own produce, and their dad makes the deliveries. The farm specialises in naturally produced meat, including beef, lamb, pork, chicken and, in season, game. Meat that is not reared on the farm comes from a few carefully selected local family farms, and the shop describes its meat as additive-free and mainly grass-fed, with no hormones or unnecessary drugs used.
The butchery counter is the heart of the shop, selling Herefordshire beef, grass-fed pork, local lamb, chicken, and turkeys at Christmas, which are ordered in advance. The deli counter has dairy, pies, cold meats and home-cooked ready meals, and the farm shop shelves carry fresh vegetables, preserves, crisps, alcohol and juice, along with other local products. It is a smaller, more meat-focused shop than the others in this guide.
Visiting and buying
The shop’s website gives opening hours of Monday 8am to 4pm, Tuesday to Friday 8am to 5pm and Saturday 8am to 4pm, closed on Sunday. The early start makes it handy before work or a day out. Luston is a short drive north of Leominster on the road towards Ludlow. Order Christmas turkeys well ahead, and ask at the counter which cuts are from Quarry Farm’s own stock that week and which come from neighbouring family farms.
Quarry Farm Shop: website and opening hours.
Knowing a farm shop you can return to is also one of the most practical ways to be ready for disruption. Read The Be Ready Campaign: A UK Guide to Stocking Your Home With Healthy, Local Food, and use the Be Ready Map to find more local food across the UK.
Plan your farm visit, produce, quantities and picking dates
Choose one or two farms or farm shops that fit your route. Write down what you want, how much you need and what you will do with it when you get home. If one crop is unavailable, decide whether to choose a different farm, change the meal or return another day.
- Confirm the crop, public opening and any booking requirement.
- Ask whether you can pick yourself or buy already picked.
- Check the price unit, payment method and containers.
- Ask about access, parking and the correct visitor entrance.
Farm shop and fruit-picking questions
Where can I buy local food in Herefordshire?
Good farm shops in Herefordshire include Oakchurch Farm Shop at Staunton on Wye west of Hereford, the nest at Little Verzons Farm near Ledbury, Pengethley Farm Shop at Peterstow near Ross-on-Wye, and Quarry Farm Shop at Luston near Leominster. Oakchurch and Quarry Farm sell meat reared on their own family farms.
Are all these farms in the same town?
No. Herefordshire covers a wide area, and this guide spreads its choices across the county. Each farm section gives its location so you can compare the journey before you set off.
Can I pick at every farm or market?
No. Farm shops and markets may sell ready-picked food without opening fields to visitors. Ask the individual business about picking access, the crop and any booking requirement.
Plan your farm shopping with My Shopping List and Harvest Checker
Open My Shopping List to record produce, quantities and estimated costs. Mark items as bought when you collect them and keep the plan for your next trip.
Use Harvest Checker after a grower gives you a picking window. Enter those dates and compare them with your visit date. The tool uses your entries; it does not fetch live availability from farms.
My Shopping List
Keep the produce you actually need in one place before you set off.
Use My Shopping ListHarvest Checker
Compare your visit with dates confirmed by the grower. This does not check live stock.
Use Harvest CheckerUse the tools with your My Ideal World account. Guest and free-account limits apply; paid members have unlimited tool access.
Explore more farm shops and picking farms in My Ideal World. Browse the Farm Shops app below or beside this article, then check the grower’s current crop and opening before visiting.
Sources
- Oakchurch Farm Shop , About Oakchurch
- Oakchurch Farm Shop , Butchery and our beef
- Oakchurch Farm Shop , Visit Herefordshire
- Little Verzons Farm , Our Scotch egg story
- The nest at Little Verzons Farm , Opening times
- Pengethley Farm Shop , Contact us
- Pengethley Farm Shop , Butchery
- Quarry Farm Shop , Home and opening hours
- Quarry Farm Shop , About
- Herefordshire farm shops , Visit Herefordshire Food Safari 2025
Research reviewed 25 October 2026. Farm and visitor sources support the descriptions above. Historical information is identified where relevant; no firsthand visit, current stock check or certification is claimed.