The Paddock Smallholding, where it all started
The Paddock itself is our family's 6 acre smallholding which we have owned since 2002, based on the beautiful Northumberland/Gateshead border. This has provided the starting point for our small, family run business which I (Laura) started in 2013, age 23, after travelling New Zealand for two years and learning a great deal about sustainable living though volunteering on eco farms and projects with conservation at the heart of what they do. I was so impressed with what I learned while away, that I came home with the idea of turning our smallholding into more than just a way of life, but also a job I could feel proud and passionate about.
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The Paddock was established as a fruit & veg box scheme by Laura Jayne Burlison in 2013 with the aim to bring local, fresh, seasonal, homegrown, homemade and organically sourced (wherever possible) food to the doors of local people throughout Gateshead, Newcastle, Northumberland, Durham, Sunderland & Tyneside through a delivery service! On 6th April 2016, we opened the doors of our Farm Shop in High Spen, in the same building my granda used for our family business from 1983, a building steeped in history. The Paddock Farm Shop closed in August 2024, we now operate solely online. We are a small, independent, family run business, passionate about what we do.Â
We've come a long way now from the early days when we started with a small flock of chickens, selling farm gate eggs, potatoes, broad beans and courgettes! A selection of set price, fresh, seasonal, organically grown fruit and vegetable boxes are available ranging in price & size as well as a good range of individually priced organic fruit and vegetables, giving you the flexibility to create your own box. No commitment is needed, with one off, weekly and fortnightly options available. Set price & bespoke hamper options are available year round.
The Paddock hopes to enable you to enjoy the great taste of fresh, home-grown, free range and organically sourced produce delivered direct to your door. Food that tastes the way it should - the way it used to!
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We are very lucky to have been supported by The Prince's Trust Explore Enterprise Programme and the Regional Growth Fund and to have been nominated for and won various awards.Â
At The Paddock Smallholding, we aim to produce what we can on a very small scale using a no dig, organic approach to growing but what we can't, we source locally and organically from trusted, local suppliers. All our fruit and veg is grown free from chemicals and is fully traceable back to the producer! We are not certified organic at The Paddock smallholding. We work closely with a family run farm in North Yorkshire as well as local, community farms and independent growers from across the UK to supplement the veg boxes to provide a year round, seasonal delivery service. Our imported veg does not travel by air freight. We operate an open and honest policy when it comes to the produce we sell, how and where it has been produced and the packaging it comes in, as we believe everyone should know where their food comes from and exactly what has gone into producing it. We strongly believe in a co-operative way of producing food and working together, facilitating local growing through good relationships. Our food is free from palm oil, additives and preservatives and we aim to source compostable packaging wherever possible on produce which must be wrapped.Â
Laura's Layers
Fresh free range eggs are available, some are laid fresh by Laura's Layers, the wonderfully entertaining chickens at The Paddock & we supplement this supply with eggs from local, small-scale, free range chicken keepers we know and trust, people who regard animal welfare as a top priority! Some of our egg supply is certified organic, and all are laid within Northumberland or County Durham.Â
Environmentally Friendly Ethos
In keeping with our environmentally friendly ethos, we operate a zero waste policy, even our raised beds are made from recycled timber. Any veg which is left over from our box scheme is donated to community projects, fed to our animals or composted at The Paddock and put back onto the land to fertilise it. We pride ourselves on being an ethical, sustainable business and as such, we recycle all of our packaging including the boxes your veg is delivered in and our egg boxes. Our food has not travelled high air miles and this really shows in the freshness and taste, as well as being more environmentally friendly! We reuse all of the packaging we can, including the brown paper veg bags. We aim to reduce plastics wherever possible. It's important to us that we consider our carbon footprint in everything we do! Most of our veg is packaging free.
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We look for minimal packaging options wherever possible. The veg you receive will be as it comes, we don't believe in food waste for cosmetic standards! We firmly believe that eco friendly shouldn't cost the earth, and as such we strive very hard to maintain affordable everyday prices on all of our products!
We are really proud to be a recognised member of the Better Food Traders Network. Better Food Traders is a UK-wide network that supports and promotes ethical food retailers who sell locally grown, planet friendly food. Together we'll make the food system better for people & planet. You can read more about what it means to be a Better Food Trader here.
Charity & Ethics
We work closely with community projects and charity is very important to us. Since being supported by The Prince's Trust in the early stages of setting up The Paddock, Laura volunteered as a Young Ambassador for the charity for 18 months, encouraging other young people to follow their dreams and plans to train as a business mentor. We are also involved in organising local, community based events to help make our local community a lovely place to live and work.Â
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Ethics are one of our core principles so we strive to work with likeminded businesses who feel the same. From 1st October 2022, we will be working in partnership with The Organic Pantry, a 300 acre family run farm based near Tadcaster, North Yorkshire. We've worked with the Watsons since starting our venture in 2013 & we are delighted to be able to partner with them for the packing & delivery of our veg boxes on their refrigerated vans. You can leave tins & dried foods out on your doorstep for your driver & we will donate them to local food banks on your behalf.
All of the team at The Organic Pantry are paid a fair, living wage. The Organic Pantry are a certified Living Wage Employer.
Our produce is priced fairly to ensure that at every stage of the process, from growing, to packing to delivering, everyone is paid a fair price for what they do. This includes as least 50% of the retail price of every box going back to the grower.Â
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Our boxes are extremely important, please return them, even if you only order once! Without the boxes, we cannot pack and deliver your veg and it becomes very costly to replace them. We aim to recycle and reuse any boxes which come into us.Â
Meet the Family
The team at The Paddock is made up of me (Laura), my partner Mike, my mam Denise, dad Bob & brother James. In 2019, Mike left his full time job as a civil engineer to run The Paddock with Laura. Laura & Mike now live on the Northumberland Coast, whilst the rest of the family still live in High Spen, where Laura grew up, 5 minutes from The Paddock Smallholding. Laura & Mike met in 2013 when Laura was just starting The Paddock and together they are both passionate about the environment, being outside in nature and good quality food.Â
We are supported by the Watson family from The Organic Pantry, we work in partnership with them to run our delivery service. Find out more by clicking the link below.
Thanks for stopping by! We look forward to seeing you soon.
Peace & Love, Laura, Mike & all of the team at The Paddock
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