Reviews and Testimonials

Our customers and critics love our produce

  • The lamb had a great 'wallop' of flavour that really stood out and had a lovely tender, melt in your mouth texture.
    The Organic Food Awards 2010 Judges
  • The Best Suppliers.....chickens produced to very high organic standards on a farm in the South West
    Customer Review, 2015
  • Top marks for excellent service
    Customer Review, 2015
  • The Top places to pick up a Bird" Based in north Devon, Higher Hacknell Farm is famous for its animal-welfare standards. Its turkeys roam free during the day, feeding on apples and oats.
    Sheherzade Goldsmith, Sunday Times Style magazine
  • When Tim and Jo Budden opted to switch from conventional to organic farming in 1988, they wanted to run a business that was ethically conscious as it was sustainable. Sixteen years later, they are operating a small but prosperous organic livestock business that remains firmly in family hands in the picturesque setting of Umberleigh, Devon.
    Danielle Demetriou - The Independent 20/01/2004
  • A model of rural regeneration
    Jonathon Dimbleby, President of the Soil Association
  • Thank you for all your dedication and hard work that you have put in over the years for something you believe to be so right so that people like us can benefit
    The Organic Food Awards 2010 Judges
  • In our eyes, Tim & Jo Budden are organic farming legends. They’ve been farming at Higher Hacknell Farm for 30 years and were part of a small group of far-sighted individuals who served as a pivotal catalyst in the transition towards a more sustaining, chemical-free way of farming in the 1980s. At a time when animal welfare standards had been thrown off the farmyard and conservation methods involved ripping out hedges and everything else that was beneficial to the local wildlife, Tim and Jo chose to paddle against the destructive flow and work with nature, not against it.
    GrowEatGather 2015, (www.groweatgather.co.uk)
  • All the meat is produced to the highest standards of animal welfare
    Home and Gardens
  • Melt-in-your-mouth texture and real flavour
    You magazine - Mail on sunday
  • Absolutely divine!
    customer review 2015
  • Richly flavored South Devon beef and lamb ... at exceptionally affordable prices
    Lynda Brown - the shopper's guide to organic food
  • When raw the steak smells very nice and well-matured. Cooked it smells beautifully beefy! It looks very appealing, the fat is lovely and creamy, the flesh is a good colour and the skin has been nicely removed from the bone... Its texture is spot-on; soft, juicy and a pleasure to eat.
    2015 judges feedback from taste of the west awards
  • It seemed to confirm the impression which I had already half formed, that Tim and Jo Budden are pretty good farmers. They are also organic farmers.
    Anthony gibson - western morning news
  • Just like beef used to be, rich, full flavored, and it's so tender it cooks in a lot less time.
    Customer review 2015
  • This is without doubt the best steak that I have ever bought - tender and very, very flavorsome.
    Dione McKenna - 2015
  • It's great to know we can get such good value from you
    Customer review 2015
  • A beacon of hope
    Christopher Stopes - Judge Organic food awards 1998
  • Excellent meat and an excellent service, friendly and prompt.10/10, when it comes to meat I am hard to please so if in doubt try it and see for yourself, meat that is real meat. Well done Higher Hacknell.
    Claire Kevan
  • As a family of six this is a fantastic value for money, with a good variety and great quality meat. We will be putting in a regular order. Thank you.
    Julie abbot
  • I received my order safely today. I have been in some part of the meat business all my working life, and I can see that you take this very seriously. Excellent presentation of the product and packaging -it all looks wonderful and I cannot wait to get started eating !
    William atkins - 2015
  • This is the way to enjoy high quality organic meat! I've recently stopped buying meat at supermarkets and found an excellent new source at Higher Hacknell farm. The mixed box is great value, including a variety of roasting and smaller cuts of meat - the difference in taste is astonishing. The delivery is convenient, the packaging is good and the contacts at the farm are friendly and helpful. Highly recommended.
    Desmond Strydom
  • Not only is your meat absolutely divine, but your butchery is the best we have come across. Your knowledge and passion for what you do certainly comes across in every bite ...
    James Austin - 2010
  • The bronze turkey you sent for Christmas - it was absolutely superd
    Customer review 2014
  • Higher Hacknell Farm produce excellent meat. Jo and Tim have created a wonderful environment for their livestock and the farm itself is the most organised, clean and tidy farm I have been to. Their new season lamb is wonderful and is on my menu here at River Cottage every week. I am proud to have them as a supplier.
    Joe Draper, the head chef at the River Cottage Canteen in Plymouth