Devon is a big county, so this guide compares five farm shops spread across it rather than clustered round one town: Darts Farm at Topsham near Exeter, Fordmore Farm Shop at Cullompton in Mid Devon, Aune Valley Meat between Kingsbridge and Loddiswell in the South Hams, Lifton Farm Shop on the Devon-Cornwall border, and Besshill Farm Shop at Arlington near Barnstaple. Each one farms land of its own, so 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?
Where you live will usually decide it. Darts Farm, just off the M5 and A376 near Topsham, suits Exeter and East Devon and is the one to choose for a full day out, with restaurants, a cidery and a vineyard on site. Fordmore, on the edge of Cullompton near junction 28, is the handiest stop for Mid Devon and the organic choice. Aune Valley Meat is the South Hams butcher, best for home-reared beef. Lifton Farm Shop sits beside the A30 for Tavistock, Okehampton and Launceston, and keeps long hours. Besshill, near Arlington on the edge of Exmoor, serves North Devon.
If meat is your main reason for going, Besshill and Aune Valley both rear their own beef and butcher it themselves, and Fordmore's herds are organic. For fruit and vegetables, Darts Farm and Lifton grow their own in season. Whichever you choose, ask at the counter which items came from the farm that week.
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.
- Darts Farm , A Topsham family farm since 1971
- Fordmore Farm Shop , Organic Mid Devon family farm since 1990
- Aune Valley Meat , South Hams family butchers and farm shop
- Lifton Farm Shop , Mounce family farm on the A30
- Besshill Farm Shop , Exmoor-edge beef and lamb from Besshill
Darts Farm
Map and location
Darts Farm, Topsham, Devon, EX3 0QH. View Darts Farm on the map.
Contact: 01392 878 200.
From a pick-your-own field to a vineyard
Darts Farm began in 1971, when Ronald Dart opened a pick-your-own farm shop near Topsham. His sons, Michael and James, now run the business, which has grown into a nationally recognised, multi-award-winning food destination. The farm still produces a good share of what it sells: seasonal vegetables come from its own fields, it keeps a herd of Ruby Red Devon cattle, and it grows grapes for the Pebblebed Vineyard, whose still and sparkling wines are made on the farm. The farm is also home to thriving wetland wildlife.
The food hall has a family butchery counter selling free-range poultry, lamb, pork and slow-grown beef, plus a deli, a drinks cellar, a cidery and Cow & Cacao, which makes chocolate in-house. There are several places to eat, including The Yard Restaurant, the Cow & Cacao Café, The Farm Table and The Fish Shed, alongside home, garden and gift shops and a spa. It is a big site, so allow time.
Visiting and buying
The Darts Farm website says the farm shop is open until 7pm Monday to Saturday, and its butchery page lists Monday to Saturday 8am to 7pm and Sunday 9.30am to 4.30pm, with different hours on bank holidays and closed on Easter Sunday. Parking is free on site, with accessible bays near the main entrance. Dogs are welcome on the farm walk, fields and play area but not inside the shop. Ask which vegetables are from the farm's own fields that week.
Darts Farm: website and opening hours.
Fordmore Farm Shop
Map and location
Newlands Park, Honiton Road, Cullompton, Devon, EX15 1WH. View Fordmore Farm Shop on the map.
Contact: 01884 839742.
An organic family farm since 1990
Fordmore's story goes back to 1942, when William and Mary Persey moved to the farm. Herbert introduced the first free-range poultry in 1985, and by 1990 the whole farm had been converted to organic, so it has now been farmed organically for more than thirty years. The shop says it produces as much of its own food as possible, and its grass-fed, organically farmed herds graze fields a few miles from the shop. The farm also keeps free-range organic chickens.
The shop has an in-house butcher, a deli and cheese counter, fresh fruit and vegetables, bakery goods, wine and gifts, with a fish shop next door. Named suppliers include Christopher Piper Wines, Beechridge Farm for free-range geese and Rosamondford Farm at Aylesbeare for bronze turkeys. The café serves breakfast, lunch and cakes, and there is a play area and a farm animal area for children.
Visiting and buying
The Fordmore website gives shop hours of Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm. The café opens Monday to Saturday 9am to 4pm and Sunday 9.30am to 4pm, with hot food until 3pm, though one part of the site gives an 8.30am start, so check before an early visit. Friendly dogs are welcome in the shop and café. It is close to junction 28 of the M5. Ask which meat is from the family's own organic herds.
Fordmore Farm Shop: website and opening hours.
Aune Valley Meat
Map and location
Rake Farm, Loddiswell, Kingsbridge, Devon, TQ7 4DA. View Aune Valley Meat on the map.
Contact: 01548 550413.
Home-reared beef traced from birth to shop
Aune Valley Meat is a long-standing family business in the South Hams, run by the Winzer family, which describes itself as over 45 years in the making. Its farm shop sits between Loddiswell and Kingsbridge. The business says it rears most of its beef on its own farms, with full traceability from birth to shop, takes its animals to the abattoir in its own transport, and hangs beef for 14 days before butchering. It also produces its own turkeys, mainly for Christmas and Easter.
The butchers will cut anything from the smallest joint to half a pig, lamb or bullock. Lamb comes from farms within ten miles of the shop and pork is reared near Kingsbridge. The deli sells cheese, patés, pickles, fresh bread and pies and pasties baked on site, and the Valley View Café next door uses meat from the butchery. There is a second Aune Valley shop in Modbury.
Visiting and buying
The Aune Valley Meat website lists the Loddiswell shop as open Monday to Saturday 8am to 5pm and closed on Sunday. The Valley View Café is listed as Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and Saturday 8am to 5pm, closed Sunday, though the café's own page gives slightly different times, so check before you go. The address comes from the Visit South Devon listing. Ask which beef came from the family's own farms, and order Christmas meat early.
Aune Valley Meat: website and opening hours.
Lifton Farm Shop
Map and location
Strawberry Fields, Lifton, Devon, PL16 0DH. View Lifton Farm Shop on the map.
Contact: 01566 784605.
From rented acres to strawberries and suckler cows
Lifton Farm Shop, at Strawberry Fields, is run by the Mounce family on the Devon-Cornwall border. The farming began in 1982 with a couple of pigs and 13 rented acres. Pick-your-own strawberries opened to the public in 1992, and the farm shop followed in 2002. A South Devon suckler herd arrived in 2008. The farm grows seasonal fruit and vegetables, from asparagus to cabbage, and since 2014 has been energy self-sufficient through a wind turbine and a solar array.
The shop has its own butchery, bakery and deli, selling home-reared meat and home-grown vegetables, and it has made its own pasties since 2005. There is a restaurant and coffee bar serving breakfast, lunch and Sunday meals, plus a gift area and hampers. The site says it won Best Large Farm Shop in 2023, and it runs seasonal events such as a pumpkin festival.
Visiting and buying
The Lifton Farm Shop website lists the farm shop as open Monday to Sunday 8am to 8pm, and the restaurant and coffee bar 8am to 6pm, with last orders at 5pm. It is just off the A30, so it is an easy stop on the way into or out of Cornwall and handy for Tavistock and Okehampton. There is EV charging on site. Ask which vegetables and meat are from the family's own farm.
Lifton Farm Shop: website and opening hours.
Besshill Farm Shop
Map and location
Besshill Farm Shop, Arlington, Barnstaple, EX31 4SW. View Besshill Farm Shop on the map.
Contact: 01271 850311.
Award-winning Limousin beef from the family herd
The Mather family have farmed at Besshill, on the edge of Exmoor, for 75 years. Their Limousin herd was named British Limousin National Commercial Herd Champion during the Limousin Society's 50th anniversary celebrations. The beef comes from the farm's own suckler herd: calves stay with their mothers for at least nine months, eat mainly the farm's own pasture and silage, and are finished on barley grown by the Cook family at Pickwell Barton, Georgeham. The family has planted 3,600 native trees and is working towards carbon neutral farming.
The shop is on the farm where its beef and lamb are reared, and all butchery is done on site, so custom cuts can be requested. Pork comes from Fullaford Farm nearby. Other suppliers named include Creedy Carver for free-range poultry, Fenton Farm Eggs, Waterhouse Fayre jams and chutneys, North Devon Queens honey and Farmer Toms ice cream, and Harepie Plants sells plants outside.
Visiting and buying
The Besshill website gives opening hours of Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm. It is a small shop on a working farm near Arlington, north of Barnstaple, so it pairs well with a trip to Exmoor or the north coast. The farm also delivers meat locally and nationwide and takes Christmas orders online or by phone. The beef and lamb are home-reared, so ask at the counter which cuts are available that week.
Besshill 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 Devon?
Five good options spread across Devon are Darts Farm near Topsham, Fordmore Farm Shop at Cullompton, Aune Valley Meat between Kingsbridge and Loddiswell, Lifton Farm Shop on the A30 near the Cornish border, and Besshill Farm Shop near Arlington in North Devon. Each sells some food from its own farm.
Are all these farms in the same town?
No. Devon 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
- Darts Farm , Our Story
- Darts Farm , Family Butchers and opening hours
- Darts Farm , FAQs
- Fordmore Farm Shop , official website
- Fordmore Farm Shop , History
- Aune Valley Meat , About Us
- Aune Valley Meat , Visit South Devon
- Lifton Farm Shop , About Us
- Lifton Farm Shop , Contact and opening times
- Besshill Farm Shop , The Farm
- Besshill Farm Shop , The Shop
- Besshill Farm Shop , FAQ
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.