Family Farming Business of the Year

2020 Finalists

Sponsored by Morrisons

Showcasing families who through generations have worked together to help secure the farm's place in years to come.

The Elliott Family, Elliotts Butchers/ Noborough Lodge Farm Shop, Northamptonshire

The Elliott family have been farmers and butchers in Northamptonshire for more than 100 years. Roger and Rosemary Elliott, along with their son Tom, run the business in partnership, making major decisions together. At 21 years old, Tom was made a partner in the business and currently oversees the farming operations as well as social media platforms for the shops. Together they manage 1,100 native breed and store cattle and 1,000 ewes alongside running Elliotts Butchers and Noborough Lodge Farm Shop in partnership. The Covid-19 pandemic saw their butchers shop in Kislingbury overwhelmed with customers sourcing local produce. During this time, the family also opened their latest farm shop venture in June, offering delivery services to vulnerable members of the community. The Elliotts actively promotes the importance of shopping local and rearing and eating native breeds.

The Hodgson Family, I.M. Hodgson & Son, Yorkshire

The Hodgson family are fourth generation farmers, growing more than 280 hectares of cereals and running several diversifications, including Great Newsome Brewery which opened in 2007. Parents Doreen and Laurence oversee the sales of the brewery and help run the farm, while sons Matthew and Jonathan run the brewery and the farm and log business respectively. Matthew’s two sons are also involved in the farm and the brewery. The family embraces a pro-active approach to succession planning, with regular meetings and discussions with third parties to get an outside perspective and have adapted their business to suit the strengths and interest of family members. Covid-19 impacted their main client base but the family innovated through home deliveries of bottled beer, using social media and webinars to promote their products.

The Nicholson Family, Cannon Hall Farm, Yorkshire

An award-winning farm-to-fork attraction, the Nicholsons all share responsibility of this generational family business. Diversifications include a farm shop selling home-reared meats, an indoor and outdoor play areas, three restaurants and a permanent marque for events. Covid-19 saw the business adapt and farm shop sales increase through expansion of deliveries and call and collect solutions for those isolating; they also received the Prime Minister’s Commonwealth Points of Light Award for their daily lockdown livestreams. Their radical approach to online marketing and social media over the years has been instrumental in raising the farm’s profile and the family has hosted Channel 5’s Springtime on the Farm for the past three years.