Drewton’s Farm Shop: 'How I turned humble farm shop into multi award-winning business'

Step up Katie Taylor MBE who launched Drewton’s Farm Shop in 2010.

Now one of the most popular tourist venues in the East Riding, championing local produce from hundreds of local growers and producers right across Yorkshire, including butchery, deli, tea room/restaurant, pumpkin patch, country walks; The Manor Rooms wedding and events venue opened in 2019, Katie having realised another opportunity; and a new wedding cottage which opened earlier this year that sleeps 8 people in addition to two already existing holiday cottages.

Such has been this remarkable lady’s impact that Katie received her MBE for services to the economy and community in Yorkshire five years ago and now chairs the East Yorkshire Foood & Rural Tourism Network.

Drewton’s Farm Shop is now one of this year’s finalists in the Yorkshire Post Rural Awards 2024.

“I love it here,” says Katie who grew up in Huddersfield, worked for her father’s textile business for over 20 years, and lived in Harrogate for 18 years where she was on various charity committees, giving her the distinction of having lived and worked in all three of the county’s traditional Ridings.

“I’m a country girl but most of all I take great pleasure in making people happy and that’s exactly what we aim to do for everyone who comes to Drewton’s and The Manor Rooms.

“I’m a real foodie. I have combined my love for good food, cooking and entertaining. I thought it would be nice to set up a little farm shop and eatery here near South Cave where my father had purchased a small estate."

What started as a humble plan has become a multi-award winning business, Drewton’s having earned a significant reputation as a destination venue.

It was Katie’s commitment to all things Yorkshire, a fabulous countryside location, building a strong team and providing a lovely atmosphere that led to Drewton’s success, and the birth of The Manor Rooms.

“We now employ more than 70 local people and sell produce from over 250 Yorkshire-based farmers, growers and suppliers,” says Katie, who champions local food at every opportunity and seeks to educate about local produce from farm to fork.

“I always have my ear to the ground in bringing new producers on board and most recently those have included Luke’s Bakery, a relatively new sour dough producer based in Brough; wines from Little Wold Vineyard, our neighbours, and whom we are now working with very closely; Filey Bay single malt whisky; and Mounfield’s from Bubwith who make all our pork pies.

"We also have a new turkey supplier, Dowthorpe Turkeys of Skirlaugh.”

Katie says Drewton’s location is a major attraction.

“We are a rural business and where we are in beautiful countryside means we don’t have the chimney pots around like some farm shops near large conurbations, but we have involvement in and with our local villages and community and a very regular customer base in our farm shop and restaurant from those areas, but the thing about being a farm shop in the countryside is we are a tourist destination.

“People travel up to an hour to go to a farm shop. If you have more to offer they stay longer. Here you can enjoy food in the restaurant, go for a lovely walk, buy fresh local produce from the butchery or deli or in the farm shop.

"We encourage people to stay that little longer with events like pumpkin picking, other sometimes ticketed events and workshops held in the Manor Rooms, and we have the holiday accommodation too.”

Katie says the addition of The Manor Rooms has taken the business to the next level.

“Introducing The Manor Rooms was the real turning point. We felt there was a need for catering for events and private parties coming our way.

"We were having to move the restaurant around or cut service short to accommodate them, so we built The Manor Rooms and 2024 has been our best year yet.

“We’ve now plans to extend both Drewton’s Farm Shop and The Manor Rooms. Work will start shortly.”

Katie receives great support from her eldest son, Freddie, who now works alongside her in the business, and additional support from partner Tony, whose business is in land management and her younger son George who works for Cockerill’s potatoes.

“Freddie and I now have Drewton’s and The Manor Rooms, and, since my father passed away in November 2022, we’re now running the rest of the estate which also includes farmland and woodland across the original 1,200 acres plus additional acreage where dad had purchased what was the old Rudston Walk hotel and events venue three years ago.

“Freddie’s Pumpkin Patch was Freddie’s idea and has become a great event each October where families can forage for their pumpkins.

“George and Tony help when they can and so as a family we’ve all got our fortes in running the estate, as well as Freddie and I running this business.

“This really is an amazing place to live and work. It is a labour of love which is demanding on time and financial resources but I guess anything you love can be challenging at times!

“The things that give me most joy are us all being custodians of the estate, maintaining it, looking after it and giving everyone who comes a really great time.

“Freddie has had his own massively personal challenges too. We nearly lost him two years ago to a very rare and dangerous fast-spreading blood cancer.

“He is now in remission and once he reaches his two-year target next March, he will be climbing Kilimanjaro to raise further funds for the WISHH charity for Castle Hill Hospital’s Queen’s Centre for Oncology, and the Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Trust.”

He has raised over £18k to date.