About Us
Find out more about our story and what we stand for.
“You shouldn’t be buying meat from a butcher who can’t tell you the first name of the farmer that reared the animal”
— Arthur Court
Our Story
Somer Valley® Farms was founded by the Watt family in 2019, as part of a mission to return to the family roots of farming. The family had been successfully farming the land around Wiltshire and Somerset for generations, Arthur Court - the grandfather of Chris, Somer Valley® Farms founder - being a particularly notable figure in their history.
Arthur witnessed a dramatic shift in the industry over the course of his long career. Born in 1908 at the Dairy, Kingston Deverill, which the family rented, he grew up helping his father farm the land. As a boy, his duties involved leading horses at harvest time and aged just 7, he learnt to milk cows!
The family later moved to Priory Farm, Maiden Bradley, becoming real tenant farmers. It was here that Arthur learnt most of his practical farming skills, ready for when he owned his own farm - Marston Lane - in the mid 1930’s. It was at Marston where Arthur grew his award-winning herd of cattle, Marston Elanor and Marston Scintillation being awarded with the top three prizes at the National Dairy Show in 1954! Additionally, the owner of his neighbouring farm was none other than the Great-Grandfather of Nigel Williams- our butchery partner!
Arthur would remain farming at Marston Lane until 1987 - the same year he published his book, Seedtime to Harvest, on his extraordinary life.
Arthur Court through the years. From left: Arthur and Margaret Court (1965); Michael Ruddick of Frome Rotarians presenting Arthur with an inscribed glass bowl to celebrate 28 years as a Farming Correspondent with the Somerset Standard Guardian; Arthur and Margaret Court (1987); the Court Children at The Dairy (some time in the 1910’s); BBC visits the farm (some time in the late 50’s or early 60’s)
Over the years, Arthur became a respected voice of West Country farmers. He held chairmanship at county level over four committees - parliamentary, economics, milk and organisation - at the National Farmers Union for almost half a century, even being elected County Chairman in 1970. He also wrote a fortnightly farming column for the Somerset & Avon Guardian and the Somerset Standard for 28 years, and became a frequent broadcaster on BBC radio. Even in his 80’s, he kept an interest in the economics and politics of the agricultural scene.
Inspired by Arthur, the Watt family acquired their first farm - Knoll Farm - in 2019. However, with their passion for quality, local and sustainable produce, they decided to take their mission one step further. They wanted to create a way for farmers and businesses from around the Somer Valley to come together, bringing customers only the best, local produce under one name. And so, Somer Valley® Farms was born.
Our promise to you
Provenance
Shopping with us means knowing exactly where your food has come from, and how it was grown, reared and caught.
Quality
We only partner with suppliers we can trust, which means you can be sure of the quality of our produce.
Local
Supporting your local farms and businesses has plenty of benefits, from boosting your local economy to a more nutritious, delicious product!
Sustainable
Less waste, reduced food miles and the assurance that farming methods used are sustainable are just some of the ways in which we promote sustainability.
Our Partners
Click below to find out who our partners are, projects we are working on and their stories.