Our working farm

Hidden in the heart of Hampshire lies the extraordinary 4,000-acre Leckford Estate, one of Waitrose's most precious assets.

Purchased in 1928 by the John Lewis Partnership, the parent group of Waitrose, Leckford Estate has been a working farm for nearly 80 years.

It is an idyllic spot, nestled besides the trout-filled River Test, however, its peaceful atmosphere belies a busy farming operation.

The Leckford Estate now provides the supermarket with all of its white mushrooms.

More than 27tonnes of cup mushrooms and 5million litres of premium Waitrose Select Farm milk leaves for Waitrose each week as well as flour, apples, cider, apple juice, honey, eggs and Poulet d'Or chickens.

And you'll find a selection of these items are available at the John Barnes and Holloway Road stores.

It is an impressive operation, with a herd of 600 Friesian cattle, 12,000 freerange Colombian Blacktail hens, 1,500 Poulet d'Or chickens, apple and pear orchards and a mushroom farm.

Iain Dalton, general manager of Leckford Estate, is enthusiastic about the benefits that Leckford Estate brings to Waitrose.

"We not only provide farm produce to Waitrose shops, but we are an excellent source of practical lessons on agricultural methods, providing genuine experience for Waitrose staff visiting the estate, from buyers to their partners in its branches.

We are farming prime Hampshire land, but making a profit is still difficult; it gives us a real perspective on the economics involved in farming." He explains how Leckford's farming operations give Waitrose a degree of credibility with its suppliers.

"We are able to show our buyers the challenges of farming, making us unique amongst British food retailers.

We know from first hand experience how much investment is needed to produce goodquality food and drink." In the run-up to Christmas, Leckford, like most other UK farms, is gearing itself up to meet the consumer demands of the festive season.

While most of us are winding down, looking forward to the pleasures of spending time with family and friends, Leckford spends the months leading up to Christmas working and planning to ensure that Waitrose shelves will be full of its best quality produce.

Even on Christmas Day, the farm is busy as the chickens still need to be let out and fed; their eggs collected.

The stockmen have to be on hand in case calves are born while the dairy herd has to be milked, once at 4am and again in the afternoon.

"Despite having to turn out on a frosty Christmas morning to keep the farm running, I get a great sense of satisfaction from doing a job well," says Iain.

"It's the dedication that the job requires - you certainly feel as if you really deserve Christmas lunch!"