Novel farm shop provides outlet for local produce

There is always something new at Saughland Farm in Midlothian, where Farmers Weekly’s 2020 Farm Manager of the Year, Peter Eccles, has recently turned retailer.

This is a shop with a difference – the Lothian Larder is open from 8am to 8pm every day, but there are neither till nor staff. Customers use a code to access lockers in a vending machine containing mainly local produce, including beef and lamb from Native & Wild, a brand produced and run by Peter and his wife, Eilidh.

See also: Farmers Weekly Awards 2020 – Farm Manager of the Year

Peter Eccles with his wife, Eilidh, and daughters Innes and Matilda  © Lothian Larder

The shop is a joint venture between Peter and Saughland Farm’s owner, Richard Callander, with both investment and profits shared 50:50 after a first call on profit share to cover Eilidh’s work.

This reflects the time she spends running the Larder, stocking it three times a day and managing purchasing and administration.

© Lothian Larder

Software linked to Peter’s and Eilidh’s phones helps them keep track of stock levels.

The biggest challenge since opening three weeks ago has been gauging what will sell well and then keeping the shop stocked, says Peter. There is also variation in demand from day to day, with steak being particularly popular at weekends.

© Lothian Larder

As well as their own-brand meat, there is buffalo meat, pasture poultry and eggs (sold loose outside the vending machine), cheeses, yoghurts, ready meals, pies and fresh produce. Wi-fi is provided, and a coffee machine is proving popular.

Marketing is mainly carried out through Facebook, along with radio adverts and promotion on the Native & Wild website.

The project aim is to pay back the investment in one year and, so far, sales are on target. There are plans to double the number of lockers to 80, and the housing has been built with this in mind. Pop-up stalls for other small producers and picnic tables are part of the longer-term planning.

© Lothian Larder

Showcase for farming

A large display board gives a round-up of the cattle, sheep and arable enterprises at Saughland, alongside the many biodiversity, conservation and education initiatives.

“We want to show people we’re not a theme park,” says Peter, who is involved in many education and other initiatives to showcase food production and farming. “Commercial farming is what we’re about, but we add value and want to raise awareness of the environmental work we do.”

Aside from the launch of the Larder, since the Farm Manager of the Year judges visited last summer, a new 100-head winter beef finishing unit has been established on a nearby farm that works with Saughland.

© Lothian Larder

Feeding barley to produce a native-bred R4L carcass, this unit is involved in a further co-operative initiative whereby three beef producers take turns in sending the required eight cattle a week to the Buffalo Farm shop and butchery Some of these beef products come back to the Larder for sale. 

A small Suffolk flock of seven high-index females has also been established and will be Signet-recorded, with a focus on improving selection for eating quality and marbling.

Targeted selective treatment of sheep for worms is continuing, to preserve the efficacy of anthelmintics.

Under the guidance of specialist advice, flock manager Owen Gray is getting grassland management training so he continues to take on more responsibility in this area.

Peter is also working on improving business resilience, introducing systems and protocols so that while everyone has their role, there is less reliance on one person in that role.

Apprentice Jamie White is on the farm three or four days a week and studies for college on the other days.