Neales know their onions . . . fruit, potatoes and jam

Mar 22 2008 by Liza Williams, Liverpool Daily Post

burscough,shop,tea room & b & b in burscough have won a north west fine food award...... freda neale,with some of their homegrown produce & family,including daughter cathy,son david,& husband bill.......

A FARMING family from Burscough who have grown fresh fruit and vegetables in the village for generations has been named the best producer in Lancashire.

Bill and Freda Neale’s family farm, which serves customers from all over Merseyside and Lancashire, competed against almost 200 producers from across the region to take the top county spot in The North West Fine Food Awards.

Producers gathered at a ceremony on Thursday to see which businesses were recognised in what have become the most prestigious food awards in the region.

Alongside picking up the best producer in the county, Bill and Freda’s business, The Farm in Burscough, also collected the award for Best Fruit, Vegetable or Herb with their Lady Christl potato.

The news was announced on the same day the farm opened a new tea room and shop in a newly- renovated 18th Century brick-barn. The building, on Martin Lane in the village, also houses three bed and breakfast rooms.

The Neales have been farming in Burscough for generations and are well known for participating in Farmers’ Markets across the region.

Freda Neale said: “It has been an incredible week for us.

“We are absolutely thrilled because there is a lot of hard work involved in getting our produce just right.

“We have won category awards in the past for the quality of our vegetables, jams and chutneys but never an overall best producer. It has been a fantastic boost and will hopefully be a good omen for our new challenge.”

Daughter, mother-of-two Cathy, added: “It has been a lot of hard work to develop the tea room, B&B and shop, particularly with two small children to look after, so it is great to see the business open.

“We sold our house to invest in this project so I am delighted that we can serve, what is, officially the best produce in Lancashire to our customers.”

From breweries to bread makers and cheeses to chutneys, almost every sector of the region’s food industry was represented at the awards, which have been running for six years and which are judged by an expert panel of 24 people, including leading regional chefs and national food writers.

lizawilliams