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Lucy carrying a large basket of potatoesLucy is the 5th generation of the Jackson family at Teuthill Farm, Tarvin Road, Frodsham. Her Great, Great Grandfather, Harry was the first of the Jackson’s to farm here, followed by Tommy, Geoff and Paul.

Geoff’s wife, Gill started the farm shop in 1997 and when their son Paul and his wife Wendy took over, the shop expanded and new lines were introduced, although Gill’s homemade cakes still remained popular!

Many of you will have been regular customers of the lovely farm shop at Teuthill until it closed it’s doors several years ago to concentrate on the next business venture - Cheshire Farm Chips and I’m pleased to report that the business has gone from strength to strength.

Having provided prepared fruit, vegetables and chips to local pubs and hotels whilst running the farm shop it was becoming evident that Wendy’s special chips were proving to be more and more popular and so the decision was taken to concentrate on this and other potato products, especially as for years the family have grown their own potatoes.

Lucy had always offered a helping hand in the family business whilst growing up, prior to and during her time at university where she studied Business and IT. Having acquired her degree, she decided that she would like to bring her expertise to the family business and grow the retail portfolio.

Initially it was a hard slog, as it is when starting any business. They knew that they had a great product but needed to let everyone else know that! So they attended several Food and County shows across the country to allow people to sample the delicious chips for themselves. The first show was the Cheshire Show in June 2010.
Fast forward 5 and half years and the hard work and determination has paid off. Cheshire Farm products are now available from Scotland down to the South!

Cheshire Farm now employs 10 people, including Paul, Wendy, Lucy and they also have a student placement from Harper Adams University for 12 months and Tim who is assisting Lucy with marketing.

Supplying all 32 of the Booths Supermarkets in Cheshire and Lancashire, 11 local Waitrose stores, as well as many independent shops and even butchers which I was surprised to hear, until Lucy explained that they make a great steak and chips meal deal! The fantastic photo above was used in Booths advertising.

Another of their customers provides catering at Festivals and also has an outlet 6 months of the year at Tower Bridge. Locally; as well as supplying pubs and restaurants, they are available to purchase from The Hollies Farm Shops, Whitmore and White in Frodsham and
Delamere Stores.

You can also buy them direct from Teuthill Farm or via the website. The family are going back to their roots by opening a small shop within the large production unit, selling Cheshire Farm products. Access is from the large parking area to the rear of the farmhouse.

All of the top quality potatoes used are home grown and it’s not unusual for them to be prepared within hours of being dug up from the field. Different varieties are grown specifically for the various products available. The whole process takes place on site, the potatoes are washed, peeled, cut, parr cooked, cooled and the appropriate seasoning added prior to being packaged all within the 2 cold rooms, cooking area and packaging area.

Cheshire Farm products are SALSA accredited, which gives the assurance that all the necessary hygiene requirements and standards comply.

So let’s get on to the products... which we have thoroughly enjoyed tasting and testing for you over the last week or two! Shelf life is 3 weeks from packaging, although because they are fresh they can be frozen at home. They are free from additives and preservatives and are all gluten free.

We have always been a fan of Cheshire Farm Quality Hand Cooked Chips so we were really keen to try the other products, which

are: Quality Roast Potatoes with goose fat,
Spicy Potato Bites infused with Florida firepit spices, Quality Seasoned Potato Wedges coated with Halon Mon Anglesey sea salt and ground black pepper and Quality Sliced Potatoes with rosemary and garlic.

The verdict?....

All equally as good as the chips! I especially liked the Spicy Potato bites, I have to admit though that when I pinched one off the baking tray, I thought ‘wow! they are spicy’ however, eaten along side fish and asparagus they were perfect, not over powering but did leave my mouth tingling which I actually like. Running a close second for me would be the Sliced Potatoes, although the wedges were also good as well! - both nice and crispy on the outside but retaining fluffy potato on the inside. One observation we found was that the products needed a little longer cooking time than suggested especially on fan, although that could just be our oven. Oh and you can’t beat the chips deep fried for a delicious treat!

Teuthill Farm, Tarvin Rd, Frodsham WA6 6XH
Phone:01928 722622
www.cheshirefarmchips.co.uk