Eastlife Winter 2019

ADVERTORIAL
Oak House Farm
opens on-site butchery with home-reared
traditional beef and pork on outskirts of Ipswich
Family-run business Oak House Farm has launched an on-site butchery in
the village of Sproughton, offering home-grown beef and pork from rare
and traditional British breeds.
The new butchery’s range of fresh meat includes Gloucestershire Old Spot
and Large White pork and Suffolk Red Poll beef. Provenance is at the heart
of Oak House Farm, and all the beef and pork is grown on-site and fed
predominantly from crops also grown on the farm.
Now run by husband and wife team, Ben and Georgina Woolf, Oak House
Farm was bought by Ben’s parents Madeline (who remains involved in the
business) and her late husband Stephen in the 1980’s fulfilling Stephen’s
ambitions to run a farm. Stephen and Madeline’s previous retail business
‘Stuart’s’, was well known locally for its ladies’ fashions stores in the centre
of Ipswich.
Georgina commented: “We are proud to continue Stephen’s legacy with this
significant investment in our farm. The butchery provides an ideal
opportunity for our customers to enjoy quality products while being mindful
of the environmental impact of their food and buying local. And, because
of our field to fork set-up, we can keep prices competitive, meaning people
won’t break the bank getting their meat direct from the farm.”
As well as popular and traditional cuts, the butchery range includes bacon,
sausages, burgers, steaks and mince as well as lamb and chicken, which is
sourced from local suppliers who share Oak House Farm’s strict traceability
criteria and high welfare standards. Meat from Oak House Farm is also
used to make a range of homemade ready meals such as lasagne, cottage
pie, pies and pulled pork, available in the butchery.
With less than 350 Large White and 700 Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs
remaining in Britain, Georgina and Ben are committed to keeping these
iconic breeds on the British landscape.
Georgina commented: “The Old Spot and Large White are pretty well
known as far as pigs go, but I think the public would be surprised to learn
how few of them remain. It is very important to us to be able to play a small
role in keeping these wonderful breeds going.”
“Rearing rare and traditional breeds using techniques honed over many
years delivers a product that is second to none. The beef reared on the
farm is marbled, sweet and succulent and both Gloucestershire Old Spot
and Large White pigs produce excellent pork that is particularly noted for
its high quality bacon.”
For Ben, the launch of the butchery is a landmark moment in the family
history. He said: “I thoroughly enjoyed growing up on our farm. Dad’s
passion was for the arable farming – the crops – but livestock make a farm.
We started with just a few chickens and then Mum started the cattle with
two Red Polls and it grew from there.”
The business has evolved over time and stock numbers have continued to
grow, with more than 100 cows now living on the farm. Ben added “Like
all businesses, we need to continually evolve and we are hopeful that with
the new butchery our family farm is in a position to thrive for many years to
come.”
Local residents interested in popping in outside of opening hours are
invited to ring Georgina ahead on 07768 088095. To find out more
information about Oak House Farm, visit oakhousefarm.co.uk
or follow the farm on Facebook.