Great Yorkshire Show: The showground restaurant that’s the place to be
One of the hidden gems on the Great Yorkshire Showground is the Stockman’s Restaurant. It’s situated just on the outer edge of the cattle rings and is often thought of as being purely for those showing livestock.
While there are plenty showing cattle, sheep, pigs and goats that frequent it regularly during the show, the lady who runs Stockman’s, farmer’s daughter and farmer’s and butcher’s partner Judith Penrose, says she and her team welcome all.
"We love seeing the place full. It’s known by the show people and trade stand people as the place to be, as their on-site show café. We see the same people come in year after year.
"We call them our Great Yorkshire Show family. They are just lovely, but we are there for everyone.
Judith took on the Stockman’s in 2019 having previously earned her spurs running the much smaller Holstein café, where the breeds have their own areas attached to the cattle buildings.
Judith tells of her first thoughts when she was approached to take on Stockman’s.
‘It was a dream come true. My first thought was fantastic! Next was ‘Oh my, what have I done!’, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
"We do work so hard and my team of 20 or so work their socks off, but we have fun too.
"I started in catering about ten years ago and being a farmer’s daughter, this is where I feel at home.
“We do the most amazing breakfasts. Everyone on the showground knows because they come from everywhere for them. We serve breakfasts from 6am to 11.30am.
“The amount of hot beef and hot pork sandwiches we get through over lunchtime, from midday to 4pm is unbelievable; and we’ve a carvery from 5pm until 9pm.
“We start prepping at 4am each day and we finish around 10.30pm. It’s a lot of hours and you couldn’t continually do it.
“I start coming to the showground in May. I’m then backwards and forwards practically every week.
"My daughter Stephanie and I will be here from July 10 to 17. We spend all day Friday and Saturday making sure of the last bits.
Judith is farming through and through.
My parents farmed at Addingham before moving to Silkstone. We were dairy farmers. We also had sheep.
Judith is now with partner Geoff Haslehurst in South Hiendley. He has butcher’s shops in Barnsley Market and Shafton. They have store cattle and a Limousin herd.
Judith’s daughter Steph and son-in-law Will have Dutch Spotted sheep producing lamb for Geoff’s shops and Will’s own butchers’ shops in Hemsworth and Wakefield. Her son, Jake, runs Wortley Wagyu.
“Stephanie and Will have now got a bakery in Hemsworth and all of the bread in Stockman’s now comes from them. I make loads of stuff. Everything in Stockman’s is homemade and comes from the farm as much as we can. Myself, Stephanie, Will and Hayley, Jake’s wife, are all here. It’s a real family thing.”