A farm shop in Boroughbridge donated more than 7560 eggs to food banks in the local area in the run up to Christmas.
Minskip Farm Shop which is owned and run by husband and wife team Ben and Emma Mosey put out the call to York Food Bank, Harrogate Food Bank and Rethink Food in Leeds, who were happy to accept the donation of the surplus eggs.
The eggs, which were laid by hens on the high welfare farm just outside Minskip village, have helped an estimated 1260 families in the local area over recent weeks.
Owner Ben Mosey explained “We have reduced our flock size this year and ceased production for supermarkets, so we now just produce eggs for sale in our own farm shop, and for use in our amazing brunch restaurant Yolk Farm Kitchen, which is the world’s first egg restaurant on a free-range egg farm.
“When our new flock start laying, they lay small eggs which are difficult to sell, so we thought instead of wasting them we could give them to charity. We were overwhelmed with the response of the local food banks and are so happy to help.
“The local food banks could take large quantities of the eggs as they are so fresh and have a great shelf life and we were able to deliver ourselves and meet the volunteers at each site.
“We’ll definitely donate again next time we have a surplus of eggs. It’s great to think they’ve gone to happy homes.”
Passionate about animal welfare and the belief that the happier and healthier the hen, the more delicious the egg, every 18 months the team rehome their flock, once their egg production reduces. The first farm in the UK to do so, Minskip have successfully rehomed more than 6000 hens over recent years to local families which saw them crowned Retailer of the Year 2018 by the British Free Range Egg Producers’ Association, an award previously won by both Marks and Spencer and Booths.
Eggs produced on the farm are now available to buy through the farm shop and included in dishes in their onsite café Yolk Farm Kitchen which opened at the beginning of 2020. Seating around 60 people, the popular eatery looks to reconnect visitors with their food by using produce sourced and grown locally as well as on the farm itself.
For more information about the farm shop and café visit their website www.yolkfarm.co.uk