16-05-2025
The gem of a family butchers and farm shop named the best in the South East
It's the family run New Forest butchers with a difference, an award winning farm shop where local produce takes centre stage.
And now The Farmers Butcher, at Swallowfields Farm in Bramshaw, has been named the best in the South East.
Owners of eight years Michael and Sarah Alexander are thrilled with their latest accolade, from the 2025 Countryside Alliance Awards.
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Described as a gem by judges, who are set to announce the national winner next month, The Farmer's Butcher champions, supplies and delivers high quality, local farm products, at reasonable prices.
Foodies visiting their new shop and picket fenced outdoor café area, which opened just over a year ago, can also treat themselves to a wide range of fresh vegetables, cooking sauces, chutneys, and other deli items.
Specialising in quality, local meats there's pork from the Commoners Larder, chicken from Noah's Ark, lamb from Parsonage Farm, and beef from other Hampshire and Wiltshire farms.
All products, wherever possible, are sourced from local businesses, mostly in the New Forest. If unavailable locally, The Farmer's Butcher buys from small ethical producers, including a few in Devon.
Mike told the Daily Echo: "When presented with such an abundance of quality produce on our doorstep, it seems an act of treason to look elsewhere for suppliers.
"I can turn up and see exactly where it comes from whenever I feel the need."
(Image: The Farmers Butcher) The premises include an on-site kitchen where a chef produces their ready-to-cook range. That's stocked alongside fresh bread, local cakes, ready-to-go hot food, such as homemade sausage rolls and pies, and coffee to takeaway or enjoy outside, using sustainable packaging wherever possible.
The Farmer's Butcher, a former Taste Awards winner for its bacon, hosts local product tasting events, pop up cafés and hands-on butchery masterclasses.
There's regular barbecues, meet the producer events and a web shop with local deliveries available.
The shop will now represent the South East at the UK-wide Countryside Alliance Awards final at the House of Lords in London on June 18.
