Bob and Clara Darlington, who own and run a farm in the North of England, have always looked for new ways of making money out of the produce they grow. Their success began when they established a shop on their farm, so that people could come and buy fresh vegetables directly from them.
The business was an immediate success, and soon scored top marks in a competition set up by the Farm Retail Association to find the best farm shop in the country. The Association’s inspectors found the Darlingtons’ shop offered excellent service and value for money as well as quality fruit and vegetables.
Clara Darlington is a trained chef and, in addition to a range of home-grown foods and other local produce, she began offering a variety of prepared meals which she had made herself in the farm-house kitchen. A small cafe alongside the farm shop was soon added, with everything that visitors could taste on the menu also being for sale in the shop.
Clara admits that starting the business was expensive, and she has worked very hard, but maintains that if the product is good, the public recognize this and buy it. “I aim to offer the highest quality to our customers, whether they come in for a loaf of bread, or take a whole dinner-party menu. I take it as a compliment （恭维） if people take home one of my dishes to serve to their family and friends and get away with pretending they made it themselves.”