Cathy With A Proper Breakfast

We joined millions across the country last week to celebrate the most important meal of the day. 

The Farm Burscough, Tea Room and Restaurant, joined food producers, farmers and restaurateurs across the country in marking the national “Farmhouse Breakfast Week.”

From “The Farm” Breakfast Omelette, Welsh Rarebit, Fruit Salad, English Crumpets or a classic Eggs Benedict with Smoked Haddock, there was something a little different to try each day at the Martin Lane Tea Room during the last week in January.

Farmhouse Breakfast Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of eating a healthy breakfast and demonstrate the variety of breakfast foods available in the UK.

All stages of the food chain, from farmers to food producers and retailers to consumers were encouraged to hold events to promote the importance of starting the day with breakfast and to celebrate the wealth of wonderful produce available around the country. 

Cathy Grice, co-owner of the Farm Burscough, said: “All farmers realise the importance of a good breakfast because you need to start the day with enough fuel to keep you going. 

“We are renowned for our breakfasts in West Lancashire and they are one of the most popular choices on our menu. More and more people are realising that having a good breakfast is a great way to get your metabolism going and stop you snacking – and just because you have a cooked breakfast does not mean it has to be unhealthy!”

From “The Farm” Breakfast Omelette to a classic Eggs Benedict with Smoked Haddock, there will be something a little different to try each day throughout the national campagin.

Farmhouse Breakfast Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of eating a healthy breakfast and demonstrate the variety of breakfast foods available in the UK.

All stages of the food chain, from farmers to food producers and retailers to consumers are being encouraged to hold events to promote the importance of starting the day with breakfast and to celebrate the wealth of wonderful breakfast produce available around the country.

Don’t worry you will still be able to choose from our usual Farm Burscough breakfast menu including our popular Full English and Vegetarian Full English, but we would encourage you to come along and try something a little different too.

WINNER: An amazing entry from the Livesley Family last year.

We are encouraging people to sharpen their knives for Halloween – with the launch of our annual pumpkin carving competition.

Following an incredible response to the inaugural event last year, The Farm Burscough, is once again asking artistic vegetable fans to come up with their best design.            

Children, big and small, are being encouraged to carve their most scary and creative Halloween pumpkins to stand a chance of a selection of prizes from the farm – including a family meal for four.

To stand a chance of winning you simply need to bring along your carved pumpkins to The Farm Burscough, on Martin Lane, Burscough, between Monday, October 24, and Sunday, October 30, for judging to take place. 

The designs will be judged in age categories and then an overall winner and second place will be selected on Halloween, October 31.

Pumpkin Man making a coffee

Cathy Grice, of the Farm Burscough, said: “We had an amazing variety of designs last year with some very detailed carvings. The entries were so impressive that we decided to make this an annual competition. 

“It started off as a bit of fun and we had a go at making our own spooky designs using our own home-grown pumpkins. But there seems to be a particular talent for pumpkin carving in West Lancashire and many of our customer put us to shame – so we are hoping for another fine crop of entries this year!

“There are some great recipes using pumpkins so you can have great fun carving and also end up with a tasty treat as well!”

Three Generations Get Planting

We have been busy planting our main crop potatoes this week which should be ready by around June or July.

We have put in Ambo variety which have proved very popular sellers in our shop and also at our famrer’s markets. We were one of the first in the North West to grow this variety a few years ago and have awards for the tasty tatty.

Three generations helped to get the crop in the ground as William joined Bill and David while he was off school for the Spring Break.

You can see from our pictures that the weather helped us out while we were in the field, but a bit of rain in the evenings would be quite welcome to give them a boost in the early stages. Hope you enjoy seeing what we have been up to!

Down To Work

Tractor and Planter

Out in the field

1st Prize: £25 Voucher

2nd Prize: £15 Voucher

3rd Prize: £10 Voucher

Tickets to take part are just £3 and  include your choice of drink and a homemade Easter Treat.

Prize will be drawn on April 25. Winners will be notified by phone.

You can choose from two or three courses for just £13.95 or £16.95 and bookings are being taken now.

Click on the link below to see our Easter Sunday Menu and then simply call, email or pop in and see us to book your table. The menu will be served throughout Easter Sunday (April 24th).

Click the link below to see the menu (will open another page)

Easter Sunday Set Menu 2011

One of the groups enjoying our charity Farm Walks

Around 100 people took part in our charity walks – aided by a hearty breakfast.

The Farm Burscough celebrated Farmhouse Breakfast Week last week by holding a series of farm-walks in aid of The British Heart Foundation. 

The walks around the farm, which backs-on to Martin Mere Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, were guided by co-owners of the business, Bill and Freda Neale. 

Visitors found out about interesting plants, animals and birds along the way along with a background history of the farm and an opportunity to meet the free-range pigs and hens.

A large range of different arable crops are grown at the Farm Burscough, to sell at farmer’s markets across the North West, in the on-site farm shop and for use in the tea room restaurant.

When the walkers had seen the farm in action they headed back to the tea room, housed in an 18^th Century brick-barn, for a well-deserved bacon butty and a brew. 

The Neales have been farming in Burscough for generations and many of the family still live along Martin Lane. Because of its location a vast variety of bird species can be seen along the popular farm-walk which is a permanent, free attraction.

Out in the fields

Freda said: “The charity walks were very well supported by local people, we had both individuals and groups and everyone seemed to enjoy finding out a bit more about farming life.

“We have raised money for the British Heart Foundation along the way, which is a charity we have been supporting throughout the year. I would like to thank everyone who came along to support us throughout Farmhouse Breakfast Week.

“We saw a lot of new faces during on the walks and some of the breakfast specials we tried out, such as Egg Benedict, went down very well – so we are going to keep them on our regular menu.

“Lancashire people are well known for their love of a good breakfast and we have specialised in them since we opened, including our popular Vegetarian Full English. The specials we have had on recently have really gone down well so we will continue experimenting!!

Back to base!

Our own free-range eggs make a prominent appearance, of course, and a number of other favourites join in with, English Crumpets, Eggs Benedict and special “The Farm” omeletes to name just a few.

Click on the PDF link  below to have a look at the full specials menu for January 23-30. And don’t forget, we are running our Farmhouse Breakfast Week farm walks this week in aid of The British Heart Foundation. See our news section on this site for more details.

Farmhouse Breakfast Week Menu

Bill and Freda will guide the Farmhouse Breakfast Walks

We are celebrating Farmhouse Breakfast Week with a truly “hearty” idea.

The Farm Burscough, Tea Room and Restaurant, is marking the annual event with a series of Farm Walks to raise money for its annual charity, The British Heart Foundation.

The walks around the Martin Lane farm, which backs-on to Martin Mere Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, will be guided by co-owners of the business, Bill and Freda Neale.

They will be pointing out interesting plants, animals and birds along the way; as well as giving people a background history of the farm and an opportunity to meet the free-range pigs and hens.

The walk is all on flat, level, ground and will last around 30 minutes before returning to the Tea Room for a complimentary drink and bacon, sausage or egg barm.

The Neales have been farming in Burscough for generations and many of the family still live along Martin Lane. Because of its location a vast variety of bird species can be seen along the popular walk which also takes in the farm’s fishing lakes.

Freda said: “We thought that this event would be a great way to mark Farmhouse Breakfast Week. It is an opportunity for people to enjoy the countryside, meet new people and find out about rural life, while raising money for a very good cause.

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and we will be making a range of daily breakfast specials throughout Farmhouse Breakfast Week.

“One of our most popular meals is our Full-Vegetarian breakfast which is just like a Full-English without the meat! We are famous for our own free-range eggs as well as local sausage and bacon. But there are a whole range of breakfasts for people to choose from and we will be trying out a bit of everything during the week.”

Farmhouse Breakfast Week runs from January 23-29. The farm walks will be held on Tuesday, January 25, Thursday, January 27 and Saturday, January 29.

Tickets for the walks, which set off at 10.30am, can be bought on the day and cost just £5 per person, with all profits going to The British Heart Foundation.

Having cleared much of the snow from our carpark there was plenty available for our intrepid winter campers who set about the fantastic snowman you can see below.

Lots of you have not allowed the weather to put you off and we are very grateful that you have made the jorney to come and see us.

Hope you enjoy our winter pics and hopefully we will see more of you this week before Christmas.

William and Charlotte With Mr Snowman built by Casper the Camper

Our free-range ducks brave the snow