The Oteley Estate in Ellesmere is launching a weekly pop-up café and farm shop every Thursday. The farm will open up its stable yard for customers to enjoy quality coffee and refreshments, with home reared beef, pork, lamb and fresh produce on sale.
Clare Mainwaring from the family team said, “Following the success of our open garden events and local markets, we wanted to give customers the opportunity to pop in for a weekly shop of fresh meat and home-grown produce, with our pretty rural setting providing a lovely place for coffee with friends. We’ll be open every Thursday from 10am until 4pm.”
The Oteley Estate’s next market day will be on Saturday, June 11. The markets are free to attend. For a small fee, visitors can also explore the secret gardens that surround the mere. Flowers are bursting in to life across the 10 acres of private gardens, which includes woodland, a boathouse, walled garden, tower, and swiss cottage.
During their local events, entry to explore the private gardens is £6 for over 16s and children go free. Clare adds, “We hope visitors enjoy coming along to our free market days, and stocking up on lots of locally made food and gifts. Whilst you’re here, take a stroll around the enchanting gardens that lead down to the shores of the mere.”
On May 8 the gardens were open for the National Garden Scheme Open Day. £3,000 was raised for the NGS’s chosen nursing and health charities, and £700 for a local church. This is the Oteley Estate’s big charity day of the year. The family estimate they have raised near £40,000 during the NGS open days, since they started opening their gardens in 1927.
Oteley will be hosting an Open Farm Sunday on June 12 from 11am until 3pm. Visitors will have the opportunity to get up close to the farm machinery, go on a walking tour through the farm, and meet the Highland Cattle and Saddleback Pigs. There will be hourly walking tours at quarter past the hour.
Entry to Open Farm Sunday is free, although visitors need to register in advance via the Oteley Estate website.
For more information about their events and to purchase Oteley’s meat boxes visit www.oteley.com.