Pipers Farm
Pipers Farm is a 50-acre, all grass, family farm, located just north of Exeter in Devon. It lies in an area of rolling hills and nutrient-rich red soil. Our fields are small and the 400-year-old hedgerows surrounding them are 2 or 3 metres wide. They are priceless reservoirs of biodiversity and natural corridors for wildlife.
Our valley has a rich heritage of small mixed family farms, some growing crops as well as grass, and many of them with a cider orchard that used to supply the Whiteways cider press at the end of the road. As we walk up the farm we have a breathtaking view of rolling hills and a tapestry of vibrant greens of grass and crops traditionally grown in our valley such as swedes and potatoes, punctuated by ploughed fields of ruby red soil. The pasture under our feet is a perfect illustration of the timeless values of the traditional systems. The old-fashioned grasses and herbs are deep-rooted, drawing nutrients from the Devon soil, with red and white clovers naturally drawing nitrogen from the air to fertilise the plants around them. It gives our animals the perfect “5-a-day" nourishment with no need for health supplements.
At Pipers Farm we have at least one herd of native Red Ruby Cattle grazing the farm year round. You'll also find a flock of our Suffolk tup sheep grazing our deep-rooted permanent grasses. In the Summer months through to late Autumn, our ancient orchards become the perfect home for our Saddleback pigs, munching windfall apples, rooting up turnips and wallowing in deep mud baths.
The Pipers Farm Family
Like generations of families before us, we are working in harmony with the natural landscape around us. That is what the French call “terroir”, and for us, it is the fundamental definition of the Pipers Farm family. We passionately believe in the “common sense” of traditional, sustainable values which have been handed down through generations of family farms.
Today the Pipers Farm family embraces 25 family farms, all helping us to produce healthy food that tastes fantastic. And you, our customers, in buying from Pipers Farm, are helping us to sustain those traditional values as part of a vibrant and sustainable rural community.
What Others Say
“Peter and Henri Grieg are not just farmers, they are genuine custodians of the land. Their single-minded determination to produce the very best meat leads them to farm in symbiosis with the environment: one that sequests carbon and increases biodiversity. They are Slow Food heroes, and most of the meat we eat in the UK is not produced in this way, so it is our duty to buy meat from producers, such as Pipers Farm, to not only cease the environmental damage caused by highly intensive farming, but to reverse it.” Shane Holland - Chairman of Slow Food
"What if everything we ate had a good storey? What if the food choices we made had a positive effect on the land we live in? What if Animal welfare was always a priority? What if food tasted the way it used too? What if, Pipers Farm." Gill Meller, Author & River Cottage Head Chef
"The energy and passion of the Greig family leave you feeling very excited about the future of food and farming – anything is possible here.
For 25 years Pipers Farm has been championing not only local food heritage, producing meat that is sensational to eat, but also supporting local family farms that have been the foundations of our rural communities and landscapes for generations. This has resulted in 25 small, family-run farms, rearing animals in the same way that their parents and grandparents would have before them, ensuring that there is a 100% guarantee for Pipers Farm produce.
The passion of this family is inspiring. Not only is the commitment to animal welfare, great taste and the local community paramount, there is also an encouraging glimpse into the future. Pipers Farm is an exceptional blend of heritage, tradition and dynamic enterprise.” The Countryside Alliance
