A couple have revitalised their family business – from a small dairy farm struggling to break even on the price of its milk to the sweet success of an award-winning ice cream producer and tourist centre.
Adapting to changing market conditions, the fortunes at Rowlestone Court Farm, near Ewyas Harold, have been turned round after the owners diversified.
With the help of EU funding through the Rural Enterprise Scheme, Mark Williams, whose family have been farming the land for 70 years, and his wife Mary set about building a haven for tourists which includes making and selling farmhouse ice cream, produced using their own cows and local ingredients.
They renovated 19th-century stone buildings to create an ice cream parlour, cafe and small shop, built a campsite with shower facilities, sowed a wildflower meadow, laid paths through a native species garden to ancient woods, and restored the orchard and hedges.
Their hard work and vision has been recognised with a West Midlands Regional Award from The Countryside Alliance for ‘best rural enterprise’. Known as the ‘Rural Oscars’ the awards honour the countryside through people who work to preserve its communities, traditions and enterprise.
Mark is the third generation to farm the land, previously as tenant farmers, but as owner-occupier for the past 10 years. He told the Journal: “There were inherent risks in trying to attract the public to our small corner of the county but we needed to look outside the box and went for the open farm concept. Our expectations weren’t huge – they were realistic – and we opened to the public on spring bank holiday in May 2007 to two challenging summers. The first year was hard, we had to keep going when nobody knew us but last year was much better.”
It’s a family affair at the farm with children Erin, 14, and Morgan, 12, also helping out.
Mark said: “We are family friendly and the site has disability access so everyone is welcome.”
Liz Lynne, the Lib Dem MEP for the West Midlands and an agricultural spokesperson for England and Wales in the European Parliament, recently joined Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Hereford and South Herefordshire Sarah Carr on a visit to the farm.
She said: “These are difficult times for farmers. With the prices they can get for their products falling and many farms struggling to survive, it is fantastic to see how Rowlestone Court has been able to branch out into a whole new area with great success.
“We need to ensure more farms get the help that Mark and Mary received.”
The Williams’ future plans include workshops for children and adults on aspects of woodland craft and environmental stewardship – from schools studying farming as part of the National Curriculum, to visitors wanting to learn about food production, farming and wildlife conservation.
