The best farm shops in and around Manchester

With unmatched views over the ever-atmospheric Saddleworth Moors, Albion in Delph is the definition of a destination farm shop. In the cafe, the menu is a majestic array of breakfast favourites, from loaded breakfast bagels to steak and eggs, via all imaginable permutations of a full English. Lunch is a mix of light snacks and wholesome meals, and over in the shop you can continue the theme of wholesome abundance by picking up organic veg boxes, curated cheese boards and oversized pork pies. Ideal.

The Ward family smoked their first side of bacon in 1907 in Cheetham Hill, after founder John William Ward returned from Canada with one or two tricks up his sleeve. Generations later, his great grandson Darren still runs the business as the Cheshire Smokehouse having moved the operation to Morley Green near Wilmslow 33 years ago. Now you can wander the aisles of this treasure trove of produce for everything from vegetables to pies to fresh bread baked on site to locally-reared and aged beef. And, of course, there’s all that smoked bacon, salmon, duck… It’s a day trip worth making.

Located out in scenic Dunham Massey, walking distance from Altrincham, you’ll find Little Heath Farm Shop. Forget Tesco’s butcher’s counter and head down here on a weekend to pick up quality meats for a spectacular Sunday roast (everything is fed on a diet of homegrown wheat, barley and beans). You can also stock up on your veg, eggs and pantry bits too. If you’re just in the mood for browsing, that’s all good too, you’re just a stone’s throw from Dunham’s picture-postcard country pub The Axe and Cleaver.

Just north of Bury, before you get to Ramsbottom, you’ll find Falshaw’s Farm Shop and Cafe. A cosy-but-modern space, you can sit indoors, or out on the patio, where you may find a rogue chicken or two running around. Owned by the same family for five generations, the farm is home to Suffolk sheep and a herd of Holstein Friesians, producing the fresh milk you’ll be sipping in your coffee or cream tea. The shop is full of all your posh preserves and biscuits as well as hot pots and pies to take home.

As far a barns go, Grange Farm in Lowton is at the glam end of the scale. The modern wood clad cabin stands in a landscaped, floral garden, which is pretty nice in our book. Everything here is super seasonal, and super sustainable, so whether you’re dining in The Barn, or browsing the shelves of the shops, nothing you’ll find has come from further away from the next field. Grange Farm also makes for two days out in one – there’s a garden centre on site. A more wholesome afternoon, we couldn’t imagine.

Holmes Mill isn’t just a farm shop, it’s a food hall, cafe, hotel and gargantuan beer hall too, all located in a former textile mill (what else?) in Lancashire’s Forest of Bowland. Like an ambitious crossover between Bavarian beer hall Albert Schloss and Tebay Services, Holmes Mill is a destination for a reason. Browse the fancy grocery counters, sip from tasting flights of beer from Bowland Brewery in the beer hall, and even catch a film at the on-site Everyman Cinema. If you find yourself over in Clitheroe, it’s a must.

When it comes to farm shops, The Hollies are are big name on the scene – they’ve got swish locations in Lower Stretton and Little Budworth, as well as the mothership, the actual farm out in Tarporley. Their second site, Lower Stretton, is most convenient for a trip out from Manchester, and you can browse market fresh fruit & vegetables, home cooked meats, homemade pies, meats from the butchery. There’s also freshly baked breads, oils, wines and spirits, if you want to give your cupboards a bit of a glow up. The quality is unmatched and there’s a cute little coffee shop on site too. Prepare to fill your basket with irresistible ‘bits’.

Not far out of Knutsford, you’ll find The Lambing Shed, and despite the earthy connotations of its name, it’s a contemporary cafe and shopping spot surrounded by Cheshire greenery. The cafe has all your brunch staples, as well as some more elevated offerings, like a black pudding and salt beef hash, or a porridge bowl with Cheshire honey and berries. If you find afternoon tea to be too sweet, they do a savoury version too with pork pies, sausage rolls and scotch eggs – truly inspired stuff. Once you’ve mooched your way around the farm shop, butchery and deli, it’s a short drive into Knutsford where you’ll find picturesque shopping streets and ye olde worlde pubs.

Park Farm out in Warmersley near Ramsbottom is mostly famous for one thing – its whimberry pie. Whimberries are a British-grown fruit that mostly grow up in the Pennines, and when baked into a pie, make for a sweet-but-tangy treat. So, perfect nostalgia fodder. Alongside this traditional dessert offering, you can also shop for pantry supplies, amble around the garden centre and even pick up a bouquet from the on-site florists. If you’re local, they even offer their own milk delivery service. Talk about ‘all under one roof’.

A little closer to home than some of the others in the guide, Red Bank Farm is out in Newton-Le-Willows, just north of Warrington. Here, the focus is on all things meat, and you can pick up a variety of high-grade BBQ bundles, depending on how many people you’re feeding, and what you want to put on the grill. If you subscribe to the Gwyneth Paltrow school of wellness, you can even pick up fresh bone both and bone marrow butter. The carnivorous theme continues over in the cafe, where you can tuck into steak pies, pastrami sandwiches and hog roast baguettes. Meat-lovers, this is your next day out.