Business & Technology
Oxfordshire village farm shop ‘delighted’ by award win
Britwell Salome Farm Shop, at Red Lion Farm in the South Oxfordshire countryside near Watlington, has been named ‘local food and drink champions’ for the south east in the Countryside Alliance Awards 2026.
Julia Mearns, co-owner of the popular farm shop, said they are ‘delighted’ by the recognition.
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“We are very thankful and amazed that our small farm shop is doing so well,” she said. “We appreciate that so many people took the time to vote for us as it is based on nominations for the shortlist and then public voting.
“Our customers and the village are delighted for us and frequently tell us which is lovely.
“The next stage is the national final against regional winners from the rest of the country, and we will find out how we did at a reception in The House of Lords in July.”
Though they were named runner up in the Muddy Stiletto’s award for best farm shop in Bucks, Berks and Oxfordshire last year, it’s the farm shop’s first award nomination – let alone win – for the Countryside Alliance.
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The annual award series has been running for 19 years to highlight the achievements of rural businesses, which names a winner and a highly commended runner-up across the categories of butcher, local food and drink, pub, rural enterprise and village shop/post office.
Ms Mearns said her family, including herself, her husband and their son, set up at Red Lion Farm in 1993 and took over the chilled unit in the barn when it became vacant in 2008, to begin selling the farm’s meat, including pork, beef and lamb, directly to customers, from field to fork.
She added: “We are a true farm shop in every sense of the word – especially noticeable when the pig staff come in for their purchases.
“Customers’ facial expressions say a lot, and we always say without them, we wouldn’t have our wonderful pork products!”
Britwell Salome Farm shop also stocks a large selection of other locally produced food, from seasonal fruit and veg from a farm in Stanton St John to local honey from the village, jams and preserves which raise money for Oxford homeless charity Porch, to bread baked fresh in Thame.
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Winning their first award after 30 years, Ms Mearns put the increased appreciation of farm shops down to people beginning to care more about where their food comes from.
The co-owner said: “Farm shops are becoming more popular, people are more aware of where they are buying their food.
“I’m just honoured that people voted for us in those numbers.”
Port Meadow Convenience Store, in Godstow Road, Wolvercote, was closed in 2024 after Oxford City Council officers found rats there.
The officers immediately issued a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice which said the shop “poses an imminent risk of injury to health” as “there is evidence of a serious rat infestation throughout the premises”.
But now, Wolvercote residents have said they have already noticed a vast difference in the shop sayings its great the new owners are “cleaning up and getting rid of the old stock”, and calling the only shop in the area a “great opportunity”.
The new owners took over the shop earlier this week and plan a complete revamp of the premises.
Rajmeet Singh, the new owner of the shop, said: “We wanted to introduce ourselves properly as the new owners of the shop.
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“We are excited to start making improvements for our local community.
“We know there may have been things in the past that could have been better, and we want you to know we are listening.
“We have already started making changes, including improving cleanliness, removing old and expired stock, and bringing in new products and new ideas.”
The new owner said they have lots of plans to improve the shop and will work hard to make it better everyone.
Reviews of the convenience store under the previous owners note that “many items are past their sell by date”, “fridges are left open and temperature is not maintained to keep food fresh”, and “they make up their own prices”.
Other reviews also called the place a “disgrace”.
Tackle Club in Kidlington (OX5 1JD) is having its opening party tomorrow (Saturday, August 8) between 10am to 5pm.
The event will include a barbeque, some free beer and live music, with the owners hoping anglers and others from the around the county attend.
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Born out of their shared love of fishing, the owners of Tackle Club hope that the shop will inspire a love for the sport in younger generations.
Sam Harris, 37, said: “We are all trying to get more youngsters involved and get them off their TVs and catching some fish.”
Stocking all fishing equipment – apart from for sea fishing – the shop will be open from 8.30am to 6pm from Monday to Friday, and 10am until 5pm on weekends.
Betfred has confirmed plans to shut 132 betting shops from September, blaming higher taxes and wider economic uncertainty for the move.
The Warrington‑based bookmaker said the closures would affect just over a tenth of its UK estate and leave it with around 1,100 branches nationwide.
Betfred, founded by brothers Fred and Peter Done in 1967, has grown into one of the country’s biggest betting shop operators, with the pair’s combined wealth recently estimated at £3.61 billion.
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Chief executive Jo Whittaker said the company had “worked hard” to protect high street outlets and jobs, but rising employer National Insurance contributions, wage pressures and increased gambling duties had made that more difficult.
“We have tried hard to protect all our sites and the colleagues who work in them, but the combined impact of higher employer national insurance contributions, wage inflation, increases in gambling taxes and wider economic uncertainty has left us with no choice,” she said.
“These are well-run shops, staffed by dedicated colleagues, and it is incredibly hard to see any of them close, but the current fiscal and regulatory environment has made it impossible to keep trading all our shops.
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“Our priority now is to support the colleagues affected, and to continue serving customers and communities across the rest of our estate.”
Betfred has not published a full list of locations earmarked for closure, and it is not yet clear whether any Oxfordshire branches will be affected.
The company currently operates several betting shops in and around Oxford, including sites on Cornmarket Street, Cowley Road, Barns Road, in Templars Square and in Headington, as well as other outlets elsewhere in the county.
This newspaper enquired directly with Betfred as to whether any stores in Oxfordshire would be closing as part of the plans and, if so, which ones.
A spokesperson for Betfred responded: “We cannot comment on individual shops as there is a consultation process underway for the staff concerned.”
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