Neston Park Estate
From film set to farm shop, Neston Park is the model of a diversified 21st century estate 10
Neston Park Estate sits in the village of Atworth in Wiltshire and is home to Sir James and Lady Venetia Fuller and their two young sons, Archie and Harry. This is very much a family home – bikes and pumpkins adorn the front terrace and there is an incredible tree-house on the front lawn. Nobody stands on ceremony here.
farm shop premises on a major ‘A’ road literally on their back door step and Neston Park Farm Shop was subsequently opened in 2006. Lady Venetia has managed to achieve the perfect balance of destination retail outlet and local shop, displaying a talent for retail marketing that should have international brands clamouring for her services.
The house has been the home of the Fuller family since the 19th century. The family is well known for its long association with Fullers Brewery, producer of Fullers London Pride ale and indeed James remains a non-executive director of the business. Following the premature death of his father James became the fourth Baronet in 1998, moving into the family home shortly thereafter. He and his wife recognised that there was huge opportunity to do things slightly differently and to deviate from family tradition so that the estate could “face up and meet the challenges of an ever-changing world”. He brought the estate back in–house from the then managing agents and set about creating a business that could sustain future generations of the family, working in partnership with Ben Knight of Smiths Gore to achieve this.
With a mere seven years trading under it’s belt, the Farm Shop is punching above its weight in quality and variety and has already accumulated a number of Great Taste Awards. Estate owned produce plays a major role in the supply chain for the Farm Shop. The beef is sourced directly from Home Farm, and the milk comes from the 200 strong Jersey herd which is then sent to Ivy House Dairy Farm in Frome which specialises in the production of unhomogenised milk, butters and creams. A range of cheese has been created by artisan cheese maker, Julianna Sedlie, who rents one of the commercial units on the estate. She is to be credited with developing a Reblochon style cheese from the pasteurised milk of the Fuller Jersey herd, named after Sir James himself - ‘Baronet’; more than a mere marketing gimmick, it is delicious and nobody else in the UK is currently producing this type of cheese.
The 1,200 acre farm, part of the 4,500 acre estate, is run in-hand and is certified organic. The current farm manager, Sandy Macfarlane, has been there for as long as Sir James can remember and is to retire shortly. The estate has recently undergone the process of recruiting a new farm manager - a process led by Tom Brunt of Smiths Gore’s Farm Management team. The farm has a herd of Aberdeen Angus and Jersey cross-bred cattle. As the meat was touted locally, Lady Venetia saw a huge gap in the local retail market for homegrown, traceable and sustainable produce. The Fullers spotted the perfect site for the
Venetia Fuller has never lost sight of the fact that first and foremost she is a mother and she has worked hard to develop a range of local traceable produce that is superior in taste, ethically sourced as well as affordable: “Our organic minced beef is cheaper than other local supermarkets”. The café offers fantastic value for money with a field-to-fork menu and children are openly welcome. Venetia and James have developed a cult family following amongst the locals by including fun family events (quiet fireworks, woodland trails) as well as making visits to the Farm Shop educational for the younger generation so they understand where their food comes from.