The eggs-traordinaires
The approach to Priest Garth Farm through sleepy Gillamoor is like a journey back in time. Bucolic doesn’t start to describe the scene; beautiful old stone cottages, a village green, long views over the moors towards Farndale and a 17th century pub. It’s easy to imagine scenes from All Creatures Great and Small being filmed here.
Turn into the farm yard and the sense of time standing still prevails as you spot a couple of vintage John Deere tractors and an old school milking parlour, and various farm animals poking their heads through the bars of barn gates – including Blossom and Beauty, donkeys on their annual holiday from their summer job on Scarborough Beach.
John and Eileen Gibson have farmed here since the early 1970s, taking over from John’s parents, and together they built the farmhouse they live in. They switched to organic 20 years ago, becoming Gillamoor Organics.
Today they work with their daughters Ruth and Rachel, who look after the 50 dairy cows and do all the milking. Ruth’s hen flock, currently around 250, is growing daily, and her eggs sell far and wide. ‘The chickens are organic, and it’s not so easy to source them’ says Ruth ‘I buy them from a place in Exeter, and the chap who breeds them meets me half way at a service station near Birmingham. The poor things have quite a journey!’
There’s a ‘shop’ on site ‘well it’s more of a shed’ says Ruth ‘but it’s got a milk vending machine and I sell my eggs there.’ Judging by the number of people turning up on a grey, freezing day to buy bottles of milk and eggs of all sizes, they seem to have hit on a winning idea.
Just down the road in neighbouring Fadmoor, Ruth’s hens run down the field at the back of her house towards her – it’s quite a sight when she pours left-over milk into feeders. ‘They drink about 20 litres a day from our cows, and my customers say they’re the best eggs they’ve ever tasted!’ says Ruth. ‘I’m currently getting more than 200 eggs a day, and now I’ve got an egg packing room it makes the job a bit easier.’
The shop is open seven days a week, 8am to 8pm – there’s an honesty box if there’s no one to take your money!