Our Story
Real food. Real farming
Field & Flower has been built on the principle of connecting farming communities to people who care, and we will continue to do so through times of plenty and times of scarcity. We believe that there will always be a community of people in the UK that understands the intrinsic cultural, emotional and nutritional need for real farming, and the real food that it provides for us.
5 generations of Somerset farming
Traditional farming is the farming that we recognise from before the scaling up and industrialising of our countryside, where conservation and regeneration have an equal footing with efficiency and scale.
This is the way James Flowers' grandfather (pictured with a prize Shorthorn bull) and father reared traditional breed beef on Home Farm in Somerset. This philsophy continues on Home Farm today with James Flower and his sister, Claire.
Humble beginnings
Fresh out of agricultural college, we started Field & Flower from a single Hereford beef heifer from James Flower’s family beef farm in Somerset. Our traditional breed, premium-quality Hereford beef was getting lost in the food chain, so we took matters into our own hands and decided to deliver it straight to the homes (and mouths) of people who’d truly appreciate it.
From entrepreneurs to butchers
One year in without much experience or money, we set up our first butchery, buying and borrowing kit to expand our fledgling business. To keep things cost-effective, our friend Andy (who you may recognise now as the owner of Somerset Charcuterie) taught us how to butcher and make great sausages.
Billy Brisket and the lightbulb moment
After selling beef boxes to friends and family, we went on the road selling our service and product at food events where we met lots of you – Field & Flower’s early supporters. Then one day, along came Billy (later dubbed the eponymous Billy Brisket) who asked if he could get a regular delivery of one brisket each month. And so, the online subscription model was born.
Free-range Chicken, pork, lamb and wild game
After a few years, we scoured the West Country and expanded the range to include chicken, pork, lamb, then venison, and all the artisanal cheese you see on the website today. There was only one criteria which was to only work with traditional free-range farmers who supported our founding principles.
Bringing it to the people
Eight years on with plenty of regular customers, we were ready to take the business to the next level. We crowdfunded to further invest in the business and raised £877,000 in just 8 weeks - half of these 650 new investors being you, our loyal customers.
Award winning meat and service
Our golden year! From starting the business from the kitchen table at Home Farm, we were thrilled to be announced as winners of the prestigious Observer Food Monthly Online Retailer of the Year award and a couple of years later winning the The Grocer Gold award for Specialist Online Retailer.
Rising to the challenge
The start of the pandemic saw a big rise in demand for groceries delivered to home and our business doubled seemingly overnight. Against a backdrop of uncertainty, it was extremely humbling to see so many willing to back free-range British farming and we were proud to welcome many more of you to Field & Flower. We also partnered with FareShare South West to get food to those most in need and continue this work to this day.
Primed for the future
We’ve come a long way from that single cow and the plan we dreamt up in the farm kitchen in Somerset, and like a perfectly aged prime steak – we’re just getting better with time. Over the next few years, we’ve got big plans to grow even more and get more of the UK eating better meat.
