A MULTI-award-winning Somerset farm shop was named overall ‘Champion’ at the Taste of the West finals in Devon last night and also scooped the top prize for its beef burgers (November 6, 2023).
Rumwell Farm Shop, on the A38 between Taunton and Wellington, took the Best Farm Shop title, while its Butchery, which uses beef from its farm, won the Best Beef Burgers award.
Partner, Anne Mitchell said: “Wow! We’re absolutely over the moon. It’s truly amazing to have won these awards and to be named as a Champion among such great company. It was so wonderful to win the championship for our homemade Beef Burgers from our Butchery too.
“They symbolise our ethos here as the meat comes from our hand-reared cattle on our farm just up the road and the burgers are made inhouse. Our team was also praised for our Café, Bakery and doughnuts. It was a fabulous night!
“I would like to thank everyone in the business for their hard work and continued commitment to delivering the very best products and a fantastic service for our customers. Without them we couldn’t do what we do and win awards like this.
“We were invited to last night’s finals after already winning several Taste of the West Golds in the spring and summer for our products and also for the Farm Shop.”
Earlier in the year, the Taste of the West judges awarded Rumwell Farm Shop Taste of the West Awards for its homemade products. These included six category Golds for its bakery-made sourdough loaf and rock cakes, its Butchery beef burgers – featuring its own farm Angus beef – and its lamb burgers.
The team also won gold for its gluten free bread, baked inhouse in its bespoke GF Kitchen, and its Countryman’s Pickle, made by its onsite Jam Kitchen team. It was commended for two further products – the Bakery’s Biscoff doughnut and the Deli’s chilli and spring onion Scotch egg, using eggs laid by its farm hens.
Anne adds: “All these items are part of our Made at Rumwell range, which includes hundreds of products that our talented team creates, with love, here onsite. This range often showcases ingredients we grow or raise on our own family-run farm or, wherever possible, come from other Somerset and Westcountry suppliers and producers.”
To add to this, Rumwell Farm Shop received a prestigious Gold Award in the Farm Shop category at the Taste of the West Awards.
Following all these successes, it was named as a finalist for the Championship awards with the winners announced at the awards ceremony last night at Sandy Park in Exeter.
Rumwell Farm Shop is an independent, family-run, award-winning business owned by the Mitchell family. It was originally a potato store, when David and Anne Mitchell began selling their potatoes and free-range eggs at the gate more than 25 years ago.
Due to customer demand, the range of products soon increased, and the Farm Shop grew into the place it is today. David and Anne’s sons, James and Jack, are now also involved in the business, as well as their wives, Sophie and Donna.
The Shop has a traditional Butchery counter selling its home-reared and free-range pork and Rumwell Angus beef. Also onsite is the new, purpose-built Rumwell Orchard events space, a Delicatessen, Bakery, Jam Kitchen, Food Hall, Wine Cellar, Gluten Free Kitchen, Food To Go service and Gift Room.
This year it was also a finalist in the Large Farm Shop of the Year category in the 2023 national Farm Retail Awards and in 2022 team won nine Taste of the West Golds for its Shop, Café and products too.
Its dry cured back bacon was given the title of overall Champion Bacon in last year’s Taste of the West Awards as well.
The food prepared in the Café kitchen is sourced from the Farm Shop, the Mitchell family farm, which is just four miles away, and other regional suppliers. The Café kitchen has Coeliac UK’s Gluten Free accreditation.
For more information, please call Rumwell Farm Shop on 01823 461599 or visit www.rumwellfarmshop.com.
