‘Customers fell in love with local during lockdown. We have to keep the flame burning’

VIDEO: Great Dalby’s March House Farm Shop – a GFC Farm Shop of the Year Finalist 2020 – reveals how the Covid crisis has transformed their business…


March House Farm Shop in Great Dalby near Melton Mowbray – a finalist in the Great Food Club Awards 2019/20 – has experienced its busiest ever period during lockdown. New customers flocked to the shop, moving away from the supermarket, towards local. The farm continued to rear superb beef, lamb and pork, while also launching a delivery service and online shop. Furthermore, it added several product lines including the ‘March House Farm Kitchen Range’, which the likes of the ‘Melton Wellington’ and a new Melton Mowbray pork pie, made with farm-reared pork.

In this interview by Leisa Pickles from Find Me The Leads, Jo Rodger tells the farm shop’s lockdown story. Jo explains shows how coronavirus brought a whole new raft of customers to the shop, and how, under pressure, March House has grown into a bigger, slicker operation.

The author:

Matt lives in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. He is passionate about the independent food & drink sector and founded Great Food Club in 2010 after being inspired by local producers near his home town.