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Fine Farm Produce Awards

A tenant farmer in a field with his cattle, with one hand on the back of a tan-brown cow on a sunny day at Polesden Lacey
Steve Conisbee, tenant farmer at Polesden Lacey | © National Trust Images/Trevor Ray Hart

The farmers we work with go to extraordinary lengths to produce tasty food while caring for the countryside and the wildlife that depends on it. That’s why we celebrate the very best in sustainable farming at the Fine Farm Produce Awards – find out more and read about our previous winners here.

Celebrating nature friendly farming

The Fine Farm Produce Awards are open to the 1,300 farmers working on the farmland and estates in the National Trust’s care. Whether they feed the birds in winter, create grassland to attract birds and butterflies, or keep the soils healthy, the efforts made by these farmers mean we can all enjoy the countryside.

Sustainably produced food is not only better for nature – it tastes better too. Every year competition judges are presented with the finest cuts of meat from rare-breed cattle and lambs, cider made from apples in wildlife-rich orchards, eggs from free-range chickens, and much more.

All entrants must fulfil a checklist of environmental and welfare standards, as well as guarantee the quality and origin of all ingredients and their production methods before the judging process begins.

A tenant farmer surrounded by free-ranging chicken, with a dry stone wall behind and views of the Welsh hills in the background
A tenant farmer tending chickens in Upper Conwy | © National Trust Images/Trevor Ray Hart

What the judges say

Richard McGeown, judge and chef patron of Couch’s Great House Restaurant in Cornwall, says: ‘Our role is to rigorously assess the presentation, cooking and taste of each product. Many of the products that pass the taste test are, in my opinion, some of the very best you can find in the country.’

There is great satisfaction in knowing that the award winners care so much about producing fantastic food and drink in a sustainable way for the rest of us to enjoy.

A quote by Richard McGeownCouch’s Great House chef patron and judge

Previous winners of the Fine Farm Produce Awards

2019

Fine Farm Produce Awards 2019

The overall Farming and Nature award was presented to Neil Heseltine, a fourth-generation farmer at Hilltop Farm in Malham, in the Yorkshire Dales. Neil and his partner Leigh embrace sustainable ways of farming to enhance and protect their landscape, which encompasses two Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and actively promote nature-friendly practices within the wider farming community.

Winner of the Overall Food Award was Beningbrough Farm, near York, for its Aberdeen Angus beef, a breed that has long been regarded as one of the best in the world.

Barrington Court, a Tudor estate near Yeovil, took the top prize for its traditional craft cider made with apples from wildlife-rich orchards that date back to the 19th century.

Four black cows grazing on a sunny day with trees in the background at Beningbrough Hall
Cows grazing at Beningbrough Hall | © National Trust Images/Annapurna Mellor
A glasshouse display of rows of orange, yellow and green autumn produce, including squash, gourds and pumpkins

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