Dorset has farm shops in every corner of the county, from the western hills behind Bridport to the heathland edges around Wimborne. This guide compares five of them: Washingpool Farm Shop outside Bridport, Craig’s Farm Dairy at Osmington between Dorchester and Weymouth, Norden Farm Shop by Corfe Castle in Purbeck, The Udder Farm Shop at East Stour on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, and Pamphill Dairy near Wimborne. The useful question at each 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?
The five shops sit in different parts of Dorset, so the best one is usually the one nearest your route. Washingpool suits anyone in west Dorset or heading to West Bay, and it is the strongest choice for home-grown vegetables alongside its own beef and lamb. Craig’s Farm Dairy at Osmington is a short drive from Dorchester and Weymouth and is the place for milk, cream and ice cream made on the farm. Norden, beside the A351 at Corfe Castle, is handy for Purbeck holidays and campers. The Udder, on the A30 near Gillingham, and Pamphill, just outside Wimborne, both have their own butcheries selling meat from the family farm.
Opening days differ. Norden opens every day of the year, The Udder opens on Sundays, and Washingpool is closed on Sundays. Pamphill does not publish its farm shop hours online, so ring before a special trip. At every shop, ask which items come from the farm itself and which are bought in from other Dorset 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.
- Washingpool Farm Shop , Holland family farm near Bridport since 1971
- Craig’s Farm Dairy , A family dairy bottling its own milk
- Norden Farm Shop , A Purbeck farm shop open every day
- The Udder Farm Shop , Home-reared beef and lamb near Gillingham
- Pamphill Dairy , Richards family farm shop near Wimborne
Washingpool Farm Shop
Map and location
Washingpool Farm, North Allington, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 5HP. View Washingpool Farm Shop on the map.
Contact: 01308 459549.
An 80-acre Bridport farm growing its own vegetables
Washingpool Farm was established in 1971 and is run by three generations of the Holland family. It is an 80-acre working farm just outside Bridport on the B3162, about three miles from West Bay, stretching from the farm shop down towards the River Brit near Pymore. The farm keeps a pedigree herd of Red Ruby North Devon beef cattle, a small flock of sheep for lamb and chickens for eggs, and pigs are kept to eat surplus vegetables. It grows fruit and vegetables for the shop and restaurant, with potatoes on the sandy soil of the ridge.
The shop sells the farm’s own beef, pork, lamb, vegetables and flowers, along with greengrocery, Washingpool ready meals, soups and cakes. It says it works with over one hundred suppliers from Dorset and the South West, with ciders, beers, cheeses, pies, biscuits, chocolate, meats, cereals and bread. Hampers and fruit or vegetable baskets can be made up on request. The Farmer’s Kitchen Café is on the same site.
Visiting and buying
Washingpool’s website gives the farm shop hours as Monday to Saturday 8am to 5pm, closed Sundays, with Bank Holiday Mondays 9am to 3.30pm. The Farmer’s Kitchen Café opens Monday to Saturday 8.30am to 4pm and is closed on Sundays. The farm is a few minutes’ drive north of Bridport town centre. Vegetables follow the seasons, so ask at the counter which are from the farm’s own fields that week.
Washingpool Farm Shop: website and opening hours.
Craig’s Farm Dairy
Map and location
Craig’s Farm Dairy, East Farm, Osmington, Weymouth, Dorset, DT3 6EX. View Craig’s Farm Dairy on the map.
Contact: 01305 834 591.
Friesian and Ayrshire cows, milk and cream since 1983
Craig’s Farm Dairy is a traditionally family-run dairy farm at East Farm, Osmington, between Dorchester and Weymouth. In 1983 the partners began to diversify by bottling their own milk and delivering it to doorsteps in Osmington, at a time when the farm had about 80 cows. The business has grown gradually since then, and the farm has expanded from 100 acres to 300. It now milks 130 homebred British Friesian and Ayrshire cows and also rears youngstock, including bull calves.
The farm’s own processing unit makes milk, clotted cream, single, whipping and double cream and a range of ice creams, and it still runs doorstep and wholesale deliveries. The farm shop stocks locally produced jams, chutneys, cereals and fresh fruit and vegetables alongside the dairy’s own products. The tea rooms serve breakfasts, light lunches and afternoon tea, with indoor and outdoor seating, and children can watch the cows grazing in the paddocks next door.
Visiting and buying
Craig’s website gives the hours as Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm from the Spring Bank Holiday weekend. From November it closes at 4pm Monday to Saturday and 2pm on Sundays. Tea room service stops an hour before closing, and the tea room shuts for a couple of weeks in January. Dogs, cyclists and horse riders are welcome. Osmington is about seven miles from Dorchester. Ask which cream and ice creams were made on the farm that week.
Craig’s Farm Dairy: website and opening hours.
Norden Farm Shop
Map and location
Norden Farm Shop, Corfe Castle, Dorset, BH20 5DS. View Norden Farm Shop on the map.
Contact: 01929 480098.
From an egg shed to a Purbeck farm shop
Norden Farm Shop is on Norden Farm, a working farm just outside Corfe Castle in Purbeck, run by a family who also look after a touring caravan and camping site and holiday lets on the farm. The shop began more than 40 years ago as a small shed selling eggs and was completely refurbished in 2014. Its website does not say in detail what the farm itself rears, so if you want produce from Norden itself, ask in the shop which of the meat and eggs come from the farm.
The shop keeps a regular stock of fresh meat and eggs, with daily deliveries of fruit and vegetables, milk and bakery items, plus jams, chutneys, beer, cider, ice cream and dairy. Suppliers shown on its website include Swanage Dairy, Swanage Bakery, Purbeck Brewery, the Purbeck Cider Company, Purbeck Ice Cream, Dorset Sea Salt Co, Dorset Tea and Lyme Bay Winery. There is also a small garden centre, pet, livestock and equestrian supplies, and camping essentials.
Visiting and buying
Norden’s website says the shop is open Monday to Sunday, 8.30am to 6pm, every day of the year, with free parking. It sits close to Corfe Castle, so it is useful for a picnic before a walk on the Purbeck Hills or a stock-up for a camping trip. Dogs are welcome. It carries a lot of everyday groceries as well as local food, so check labels and ask staff which items are from Purbeck.
Norden Farm Shop: website and opening hours.
The Udder Farm Shop
Map and location
Manor Farm, Front Street, Gillingham, Dorset, SP8 5LQ. View The Udder Farm Shop on the map.
Contact: 01747 838899.
Down family beef and lamb from East Stour
The Udder Farm Shop is a family-run farm shop and restaurant at Manor Farm, East Stour, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale near Gillingham. It was opened in 2005 by farmers Jane and Brian Down, whose family has farmed in the village since the late 1930s. The farm rears beef and lamb, which are sold in the shop and served in the restaurant, and its sheep and cows can be seen grazing nearby. The coffee shop was extended in 2019.
A butchery counter sits at the heart of the shop, with meat prepared by its own butchers, and there is a fish counter and a deli. The shop also sells fruit and vegetables, frozen foods, household items, gifts and hampers, with produce sourced from around Dorset and the neighbouring counties. The restaurant is known for cooked breakfasts and afternoon teas, and on Friday and Saturday evenings it runs themed nights.
Visiting and buying
The Udder’s website gives the shop hours as Monday to Saturday 8.30am to 6pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm. The coffee shop and restaurant open Monday to Saturday 8.30am to 5pm and Sunday 9am to 4pm. It is easy to reach from the A30 near East Stour, with free parking and a children’s play area. Dogs are welcome at the outdoor seating area but not inside, apart from service dogs. Ask at the butchery counter which cuts are from the farm.
The Udder Farm Shop: website and opening hours.
Pamphill Dairy
Map and location
Abbott Street, Pamphill, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 4ED. View Pamphill Dairy on the map.
Contact: 01202 880618.
150 years farming on the Kingston Lacy Estate
Pamphill Dairy grew out of the Richards family’s dairy at Chilbridge Farm on the Kingston Lacy Estate, which the family has farmed for over 150 years, first as tenants of the Bankes family and, since 1982, of the National Trust. The cows once crossed the B3082 to be milked at Pamphill. In the early 1980s Jim and Wendy Richards turned the old buildings into a farm shop, starting with eggs. The dairy closed in 2001; the farm is now mainly arable and keeps a beef suckler herd.
The farm’s beef goes to the on-site butchery, which also sells meat from neighbouring counties. The farm shop sells seasonal fruit and vegetables, bread, free-range eggs, homemade scones and cakes, local cheese, jams, wines, beers and ciders, and Pamphill Dairy Ice Cream. Dorset names on its website include Dorset Tea, The Dorset Chocolate Co., Cranborne Chase Cider, Piddle Brewery and Wessex Mill. The Parlour Café serves breakfasts, light lunches and afternoon tea.
Visiting and buying
Pamphill’s website says the Parlour Café is open seven days a week and the Takeaway Hut is open 10.30am to 4pm Friday to Sunday, but it does not publish farm shop or butchery hours, so ring the farm shop or the butchery on 01202 857137 before a special trip. It is a short drive from Wimborne town centre and handy for a visit to Kingston Lacy. Ask at the butchery which beef is from Chilbridge Farm.
Pamphill Dairy: 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 Dorset?
For home-grown food in Dorset, try Washingpool Farm Shop near Bridport, Craig’s Farm Dairy at Osmington near Dorchester, Norden Farm Shop at Corfe Castle, The Udder Farm Shop at East Stour near Gillingham, and Pamphill Dairy near Wimborne. Check each shop’s own website for current hours.
Are all these farms in the same town?
No. Dorset 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
- Washingpool Farm Shop , official website
- Washingpool Farm , the farm
- Craig’s Farm Dairy , farm shop and tea rooms
- Craig’s Farm Dairy , our farm
- Norden Farm Shop , official website
- The Udder Farm Shop , contact and opening hours
- The Udder Farm Shop , about us
- Pamphill Dairy , official website
- Pamphill Dairy , about us
- Pamphill Dairy , contact us
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.