County Durham’s farm shops are spread well apart, so it helps to know what each one does before you set off. This guide compares four: Broom House Farm near Witton Gilbert, just outside Durham City; Knitsley Farm Shop near Consett in north-west Durham; Thorpe Farm Centre at Greta Bridge in Teesdale; and Piercebridge Organics on the Tees west of Darlington. Each one sells something different, 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?
If you live in or near Durham City, Broom House Farm is the shortest trip, near Witton Gilbert, and it is the one to choose for organic beef, pork and lamb reared on the farm. Knitsley Farm Shop, between Lanchester and Consett, suits north-west Durham and is strongest on its own butchery, pies and daily bread. In the south of the county, Piercebridge Organics on the A67 west of Darlington is the place for a full organic grocery shop alongside its own meat and eggs, while Thorpe Farm Centre near Barnard Castle is a family day out with a farm shop, deli and restaurant.
Opening days differ: Broom House and Knitsley close on Sundays and Mondays, Piercebridge opens every day with short Sunday hours, and Thorpe opens seven days a week. Check before a long drive, especially around bank holidays and Christmas, and ask at the counter which items come from the farm itself.
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.
- Broom House Farm , Organic livestock farm above the River Browney
- Knitsley Farm Shop , Sixth-generation family farm near Consett
- Thorpe Farm Centre , Teesdale family farm since 1936
- Piercebridge Organics , 300-acre organic farm near Darlington
Broom House Farm
Map and location
Broom House Farm, Witton Gilbert, Durham, DH7 6TR. View Broom House Farm on the map.
Contact: 07727 351749.
Organic Aberdeen Angus, Lleyn sheep and Saddleback pigs
Broom House is a family-run livestock farm on a hill about 750 feet up, above the River Browney and looking towards Durham City. The farm keeps Aberdeen Angus cattle, a flock of Lleyn sheep, a small herd of Saddleback pigs and laying hens, and aims to breed its own replacement animals. It gained full organic status in October 2007 and is inspected each year by Organic Farmers & Growers. The family has also planted and managed land for wildlife, winning the Durham area Tye Award in 2008 and 2012.
A butchery opened on the farm in 2004 and grew into the farm shop. It sells the farm’s own beef, pork, lamb and mutton, including Saddleback sausages, alongside products from local suppliers and gifts. The shop was named Small Farm Shop and Farm Shop Butchery of the Year in 2023, and the farm also runs a coffee shop, an online meat delivery service and the Forest Adventure outdoor activity area.
Visiting and buying
The farm’s website lists the farm shop as open Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm, and closed on Sundays and Mondays. The coffee shop opens Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 4pm, and 9am to 4.30pm at weekends; it does not take table bookings and cooks to order, so expect a wait at busy times. The farm is a short drive west of Durham City. Ask which cuts are from the farm’s own animals that week.
Broom House Farm: website and opening hours.
Knitsley Farm Shop
Map and location
East Knitsley Grange, Knitsley, Consett, County Durham, DH8 9EW. View Knitsley Farm Shop on the map.
Contact: 01207 592 059.
Suckler cows, breeding ewes and an on-farm butchery
East Knitsley Grange is a mixed farm of about 200 acres in the lowlands of north-west Durham, mostly grassland on heavy clay. The Jewson family is in its sixth generation of farming here, with the seventh learning the business. The farm keeps suckler cows bred with an Aberdeen Angus bull, around 240 breeding ewes that lamb each April, and a small flock of hens for eggs. A little winter barley is grown for feed, with the straw used for bedding.
The butchery is the heart of the business. Edward selects the animals, beef is hung for at least 21 days and lamb for at least a week, and because demand now outstrips the farm, other local farmers also supply beef. The shop has a deli with home-cooked meats and handmade pork pies, a bakery baking bread daily from 3am, cheeses from Weardale Cheese Company and Northumberland Cheese Company, and the Granary Cafe.
Visiting and buying
Knitsley’s website lists the farm shop as open Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 4pm, and the Granary Cafe Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 3pm; both are closed on Sundays and Mondays. The site also posts separate Christmas hours. You can order online or by phone and collect from the shop. It lies between Lanchester and Consett. Ask at the butchery counter which meat is from the family’s own herd and flock.
Knitsley Farm Shop: website and opening hours.
Thorpe Farm Centre
Map and location
Thorpe Farm, Greta Bridge, Barnard Castle, County Durham, DL12 9TY. View Thorpe Farm Centre on the map.
Contact: 01833 627242.
Four generations of the Barkes family at Greta Bridge
Percy Barkes bought Thorpe Farm in 1936. His son Deryk ran it as a mixed farm with suckler cows, sheep and arable crops, later adding dairy cows, and Deryk’s son Paul came home from agricultural college in 1982 and moved into pigs. Paul and his wife Jo decided to diversify in 1994, and the farm shop and café opened in June 2001, the same year the pig unit closed after foot and mouth. The family, now including their son Harvey, has since added a campsite, soft play and an animal rescue centre.
The farm shop sells fruit and vegetables, meats, deli foods, farmhouse cheeses and bread, with biscuits, cakes, sausage rolls and scones made on site. Drinks include locally distilled Nine Tines Vodka and Yorkshire Dales Gin, and there are frozen meals, ice cream and household basics. The website says most stock comes from independent local suppliers rather than the farm itself. The Courtyard Restaurant, gift shop and reclamation barn are on the same site.
Visiting and buying
Thorpe Farm’s website lists the farm shop as open seven days a week, 9am to 5pm, and the Courtyard Restaurant 9am to 4.30pm, though closing times may vary. Its FAQ gives shorter winter hours of 9am to 4.30pm. The farm is just off the A66 at Greta Bridge, a few miles south-east of Barnard Castle, so it is easy to combine with a Teesdale trip. Ask staff which products come from local farms nearby.
Thorpe Farm Centre: website and opening hours.
Piercebridge Organics
Map and location
Piercebridge Farmshop, Piercebridge, Co. Durham, DL2 3SE. View Piercebridge Organics on the map.
Contact: 01325 374251.
Organic beef, pork, lamb and Harry’s eggs since 1964
The family has farmed at Piercebridge since 1964, and the 300-acre farm is now run entirely organically. It produces beef from Aberdeen Angus cattle, pork from Landrace Duroc pigs, lamb from a mixed flock of Scottish Blackface, Cheviot and home-bred Mule sheep, organic eggs and table chickens. The move to organic farming was driven by Harry Hodgson, whose hens have produced organic eggs since around 1998 and are kept in small flocks of no more than 600 so they can range outside.
The farm sold potatoes, eggs and lamb from the porch before converting old stables into a shop in 2001. It now stocks over 2,000 organic products, from vegetables, dairy and flours to pulses and fish, and you can refill Ecover bottles. Meat from the farm is cut in an on-site butchery, which makes its own burgers, sausages, ham, bacon and cooked meats. The website notes that the café is no longer open.
Visiting and buying
The farm’s website lists opening hours of Monday to Saturday, 9am to 3.30pm, and Sunday 9.30am to 1pm, closed on bank holidays. The shop also houses a Post Office counter. Piercebridge is on the A67 about five miles west of Darlington. The website says vegetables are bought direct from local farms while all the meat is reared on the farm, so ask which vegetables are local that week.
Piercebridge Organics: 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 Durham?
Good choices in County Durham include Broom House Farm near Witton Gilbert, Knitsley Farm Shop near Consett, Thorpe Farm Centre at Greta Bridge near Barnard Castle, and Piercebridge Organics west of Darlington. Broom House and Piercebridge are organic farms selling their own meat.
Are all these farms in the same town?
No. Durham 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
- Broom House Farm , official website
- Broom House Farm , About us
- Broom House Farm , Contact
- Knitsley Farm Shop , Opening hours
- Knitsley Farm Shop , The farm
- Knitsley Farm Shop , Shop and deli
- Knitsley Farm Shop , Farm butchery
- Thorpe Farm Centre , official website
- Thorpe Farm Centre , Farm shop
- Thorpe Farm Centre , Our story
- Piercebridge Organics , official website
- Piercebridge Organics , Farmshop
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.