Mainsgill Farm Shop

Background

This farm shop is located near Richmond, just off the A66 main road from Scotch Corner.

Image courtesy of Josiah Farrow

It is essentially set in a farmland surrounded by countryside. The building is fairly modern; it boasts large-pane glass windows, was constructed from sustainable materials and is equipped with giant solar panels on the rooftops.

The building includes a two-story department store with a massive food and deli department downstairs. There is an emporium of handcrafted gifts upstairs. It has an extended building to the side where the tearoom is located. Additionally, there is an extra heated marquee annexed to it to accommodate more tables.

As well as the indoor facilities, there is plenty of surrounding outdoor space; including an outdoor seating area just outside the tea room marquee. You can also go on a rambling hike through the Dales starting from this farm shop. As well as walking and sitting outside, the actual farm is also accessible for people to wander around. The farm is owned by the same owner as the shop, and you can look at the farm animals.

Tearoom

Their indoor tearoom is large and runs on a first-come-first-served basis. No bookings can be made for tables; visitors just need to queue at the barrier leading into the tearoom, then wait for a member of staff to first take their order and then assign them to a table; either in the main tearoom seating area or in the heated marquee.

Once seated, the staff will give the visitor’s table a number and their food and drink will be bought to them. That means they don’t need to get up again to order (but people can still walk up to the cakes and desserts counter if they fancy ordering a sweet separately).

Tearoom Menu

The menu is very extensive and includes a selection of daily lunch meals, breakfasts and desserts. All food is made using locally-sourced ingredients and meat, and it is all made to order. Breakfast options include all day breakfasts, a traditional full English, and their signature Farmhouse breakfast. You can also choose to just have a hot sandwich or go for something different like eggs benedict or salmon with scrambled eggs. Their lunch options change every day (they display the daily specials on a chalkboard in the tearoom hall). The usual options include soup, jacket potatoes, beef burger, Ploughman’s Lunch, homemade pies and quiches and side salads.

Visitors can also come for Afternoon Tea or just stop for a quick snack (such as a scone, a slice of cake from their selection of homemade cakes and traybakes). They also do patisserie desserts; ranging from choux buns and lemon meringue pies to cheesecakes and many, many more sweet treats.

All the drinks are included in the menu too, they serve different varieties of teas, filter coffees, hot chocolate and soft drinks and milkshakes too.

To view the full menu, click here!

Butchery & Food Hall

This farm shop is also a place for food shopping. All meat sold at the butchery section is displayed on centre stage in refrigerated counters. There is a huge demand for Mainsgill’s home-reared meat, including grass-fed beef, pork, lamb, grass-fed steak, burgers & sausages and poultry. This farm shop prides itself on being sustainable. That is why all the meat at their butchery is home-reared, meaning it has travelled zero miles to the shop.

Image courtesy of Dana Sredojevic

The rest of the food hall is also located downstairs. Their shelves are stocked with local foods, most of which is prepared at the farm or sourced locally. The deli counter is one of the first things that can be seen upon entering the shop. At the deli counter, there is a plethora of homemade pies, quiches, cured meats and charcuterie. You can also find Italian olives, pates and many varieties of cheeses.

They also have an in-house bakery that supplies the shop with freshly-baked pies, sausage rolls, quiches and cakes. People can also choose to order ahead over the phone or online for collection. Click here to find out more about ordering on their online shop.

All fruit and veg are home-grown, from rhubarb, cabbage and carrots to apples and strawberries.

While you’re browsing in store, you will also find gift hampers which can be customised to act as people’s gifts for a variety of occasions.

Gift Hall

Image courtesy of Kristina Chuprina

All of the gifts and clothing are located upstairs on the first floor. Here, you will find many things; ranging from  antiques to trinkets and knickknacks. Other items include crockery (like tea sets, mugs and plates) and home furnishings (including cushions, blankets, rugs and paintings). Click here to buy some of their products online.

Farm Animals

The farmyard is also open and accessible for people to wander around and have a look at some of the livestock. You will find cows, pigs, goats and chickens as well as alpacas and camels.

Events

All year round, there are many events which take place at Mainsgill Farm Shop near Richmond. These include tasting events; where visitors can come and try some of the food and beverages that are being sold by local suppliers.

Other events include Lambing Live, which takes place in February and March each year when their spring lambs are born. You can join their online webcam or actually head down to their lambing shed to witness the birth of these animals.

Pick Your Own Sunflower Patch takes place every year in August and September, when their patches are filled with tall sunflowers. And  then Pick Your Own Pumpkins opens in October every year for visitors to come and pick pumpkins for Halloween!

Follow their socials on Facebook by clicking here to find out when the next events will be taking place.

Accessibility

Wheelchairs

There is wheelchair access throughout the building and the grounds. The main entrance is wide and has automatic doors, and there is a ramp leading up to it. The building operates a one-way-in and one-way-out system to avoid congestions going through the doorways. The exit is also a wide automatic door that opens straight out onto the car park.

Both the floors are all level and have no steps to get over. There are also no steps to get in and out of the tearoom and the tearoom marquee. There is a large wheelchair accessible lift to access the first floor and gift hall.

Toilet Facilities

The toilets are located to the right as you enter the building and opposite the stairs going to the first floor. These include baby-changing facilities and disabled toilets.

Tearoom Accessibility

The tearoom has both a dog-friendly area and a non-dog-friendly area. The furniture can be moved. There are some sofas to sit on in one corner of the marquee. All the seating areas are heated.  Highchairs are also provided for toddlers and babies.

Tearoom Menu

Their menu includes plenty of gluten-free options, as well as dairy-free ones. Allergy information is obtainable by asking staff. There is something that everyone of all different tastes will like. For people watching their calories, there are also healthier snacks including salads, jacket potatoes and other low-calorie meals.

Parking

There is a car park onsite. During busier times, it may get congested on the lane driving into the car park. When it is busy, there will be a traffic marshal wearing hi-vis guiding vehicles where to park. Blue Badge parking spaces are at the front of the car park, closer to the main entrance.

Outdoor Space

There is some seating outside, including a few picnic benches.

Child-Friendly

There is an outside children’s play area with a climbing frame and swings just next to the outside seating area. The tearoom caters for kids’ meals and is able to provide warm milk for infants.

Dog-Friendly

Dog owners can bring their pets for walks and call into the farm shop, but the only dog-friendly part is the tearoom marquee. There are numerous places to take dogs for walks around the farmland and surrounding area.

Public Transport

There is no bus service that operates near this location, as it is essentially on the A66 dual carriageway.

Conclusion

We hope that you found this listing helpful in finding accessible places to visit for your family and for people with physical and learning disabilities. This farm shop near Richmond is also near to other listed venues including;

• The Georgian Theatre Royal 
• Bolton On Swale Nature Reserve
• The Fox Hole