Legges of Bromyard nominated for Countryside Alliance Award! Celebrates British food, small businesses, and rural support.
Anthony Legge runs the business and is known as a “master butcher.” He oversees two farm shops in Herefordshire: Legges of Bromyard and the Copper Kettle. Legge said being nominated is a “huge privilege.” Legge also stated the nomination makes the team’s hard work worth it.
They support local farms and food suppliers and dedicate themselves to looking after their customers. The Times and Sunday Times praised the shop in November, calling it a top spot for food lovers.
The papers recommended their gourmet sausages, and chicken curry pie and applefresco also got a shout-out. Sarah Lee, director of the Countryside Alliance awards, said they had lots of nominations. These awards honor the people behind the businesses and recognize those who help rural areas thrive.
Winners are chosen by public vote in March, and will be announced in April. They’ll then go to the finals in London in June. The Legge family farmed near Bromyard since 1903.
Their Shortwood Farm welcomed many visitors each year. David and Janette Legge wanted to slow down in 2016, though the family’s love for their land never faded. Gina, their daughter, fully returned to the farm in the early 2000s.
Gina studied agriculture in New Zealand. She and her husband Adam now run Turners Agricultural Engineers from Shortwood Farm. David’s grandson, James, joined the farm in September 2023 after earning a degree in farm management.
The family hopes James will bring new farming ideas. Legges now sells Shortwood Farm’s pasture-fed beef, catering to customer needs. A customer with Coeliac disease needed grain-free meat.
The family is proud to meet crucial dietary needs. They created a farm plan before ending milking. The plan focused on better health for animals, consumers, and the environment.
They use a special grazing system involving various grasses, herbs, and legumes. Cattle graze a strip daily, then it rests for 90 days. This helps the land recover.