Old Hall Farm: A Cow-with-Calf Microdairy, Farm Shop and Restaurant in the Heart of South Norfolk
Nestled on the B1332 between Norwich and Bungay in the village of Woodton, Old Hall Farm is a family-run South Norfolk holding built around a single, very clear idea: that cows and calves should stay together. Today the farm combines a cow-with-calf microdairy, a well-stocked farm shop and deli, an in-house butchery, a full-service café and restaurant, and a series of bookable animal experiences - all rooted in the Mayhew family's decades of farming in the area and a passion for Jersey cattle.
A Family Farming Story Since the 1940s
The Mayhew family have farmed in Woodton since the mid-1940s. Originally their business revolved around a small suckler cow herd, chickens for egg production, pig rearing, and over 500 acres of arable land. The present-day dairy story began in 2016, when Stuart and Rebecca Mayhew spent time on a friend's dairy unit in Scotland during a family holiday and fell in love with the idea of keeping their own herd of Jersey cattle. Their first cow, Freya, arrived in November 2016 and the dairy has grown steadily ever since.
From that single cow the herd has expanded to around 60 Jerseys (not all of them in milk at any one time), all of them 100% pasture-fed and all of them allowed to keep their calves at foot - usually for eight to twelve months, sometimes longer. Every cow on the farm is named after a goddess (Freya, Hera, Gaia, Juno, Maya, Iris, Nyx, Persephone and Styx), with three young pedigree trainees - Daisy, Buttercup and Ellie - waiting in the wings to be given their own mythological names once they calve.
The Cow-with-Calf Philosophy
Old Hall Farm's most distinctive feature is its commitment to keeping calves with their mothers. When the first calf, Bess, was born in February 2017, separating her from Freya simply didn't feel right, so the family began milk sharing instead. They milk once a day, in the morning, which means the calf has plenty of opportunity to feed from its mother throughout the rest of the day.
The benefits, they say, are vast - better for the calf, better for the cow, and a more symbiotic relationship between cow and human. Visitors are actively encouraged to come and watch the 7.30am morning milking, and even join in. The farm also practises Holistic Management and Agroecology to build biodiversity and sequester carbon, and the team are clear that they will never feed Bovaer or any other chemical additives to their ruminants.
Raw Jersey Milk and Dairy Produce
The flagship product is the farm's raw Jersey milk - unpasteurised, un-homogenised and bottled by hand on the same day the cows are milked. Each bottle carries a natural layer of cream on top, which can be shaken back in or savoured first as a treat. The milk is sold direct from the farm shop and, for customers who can't visit in person, via a postal service.
From that same milk the dairy produces a wider range of artisan products:
- Raw Jersey cream and raw butter
- Jersey yoghurt
- Ghee
- Hand-bottled milkshakes
- Ice cream
All of the cows are members of the Raw Milk Producers Association (Rebecca has sat on the committee since the organisation was formed in 2018) and the farm is also a member of Pasture for Life, with full 100% pasture-fed certification.
The Farm Shop and Delicatessen
The on-site farm shop is the public face of the business and is built around a very simple ethos: to support and sell produce from the very best producers in Norfolk and Suffolk. The vast majority of what is on the shelves comes from within a 20-mile radius.
Alongside their own raw milk, cream, butter and milkshakes, customers will find:
- The farm's own rare-breed, soya-free pork - Large Black, Oxford Sandy Black, Large White and Tamworth
- Home-reared 100% pasture-fed beef, plus other pasture-fed beef from neighbouring farms
- Organic, purely grass-fed lamb from Shimpling Park
- Traditional, free-range chickens from Sutton Hoo
- Local game in season - pheasant, partridge, venison, rabbit and hare
- Free-range rainbow eggs from the farm's own flock
- A cheese counter featuring Norfolk Dapple, Norfolk Tawny, Binham Blue, Copys Cloud, Gurney's Gold, Norfolk White Lady, Wissington, Deopham Blewe, Fielding Cottage's Mardler, Ellingham and Wensum White, Walsingham Wells Alpine, Suffolk Gold, Suffolk Blue, Baron Bigod, St Jude and St Cera, Lincolnshire Poacher, Colston Bassett, Ogleshield, plus ethical-dairy cheeses Rainton Tomme, Langanory, Fleet Valley Blue, Bluebird and Cote Hill
- House-baked pork pies, sausage rolls, vegetable pastry rolls, venison pies (in season), beef and ale pies, Scotch eggs, chunky caramel brownies, white chocolate rocky road and flapjacks
The shop runs an online click-and-collect service via www.oldhallfarmshop.co.uk, with a postal option for customers further afield, and a downloadable price list for online orders is published.
The Restaurant and Café
Open seven days a week, the on-site café and restaurant serves an extensive hot menu with daily specials and, every week, the legendary Sunday roasts. The full range of menus is listed below:
- Breakfast
- Lunch (with daily specials)
- Snacks and Paninis
- Afternoon Teas
- Hot and Cold Drinks
- Wine, Beer and Cider
- Sunday Menu
- Children's Menu and Children's Sunday Menu
Booking is advised and can be made by calling 01508 333110, emailing oldhallfm@gmail.com, or using the online booking page at easymenus.uk/oldhallfarm. Afternoon Tea reservations, groups of seven or more, and tables within 24 hours must be booked by phone.
Animal Experiences and Events
Old Hall Farm runs a small but popular programme of bookable animal experiences, all ticketed through the farm's DigiTickets page.
Highland Cow Meet and Greet
Visitors can book a session with the farm's Highland Cows - Lory, Isla and Yumi - for either 30 or 60 minutes. It is possible to combine the experience with afternoon tea or a meal in the restaurant.
Suffolk Punch Meet and Greet
The newest experience offers an exclusive meet and greet with Hattie and Yogi, the farm's young Suffolk Punch horses. Tickets can be purchased directly via the Suffolk Punch event page.
Open Farm Sunday
Each June the farm joins the national Open Farm Sunday campaign. The most recent event ran from 10am until 4pm with milking demonstrations, talks and guided farm walks, a BBQ and hog roast, machinery displays, and the chance to meet the animals and cuddle the goats. A printable event map is published ahead of each event.
Seasonal Events
The café runs a festive lunch and evening menu each Christmas - bookings can be made daily except Sundays, with a £5 per person deposit required to secure a table. Exclusive evening bookings are available for groups of 20 or more, and downloadable Christmas order forms cover the butchery side of the business for turkeys, joints and other seasonal supplies. Father's Day is also celebrated with a special menu and pre-bookable tables.
Visiting Old Hall Farm
How to Find Them
The farm is immediately off the Norwich - Bungay road (B1332). The postcode is NR35 2LP.
- From Norwich: take the B1332 towards Bungay. The farm is on the right-hand side just before the 40mph speed limit zone, approximately one mile after Kirstead garden centre.
- From Bungay: take the B1332 towards Norwich. The farm is on the left-hand side after passing through Woodton, just after leaving the 40mph speed limit zone.
Opening Hours
- Farm Shop & Deli: Monday to Wednesday 8am - 5.30pm; Thursday to Saturday 8am - 6pm; Sunday 9am - 5pm.
- Café: Monday to Saturday 9am - 5pm; Sunday 9am - 4pm. Full hot menu served 9am - 3pm daily.
Contact
- Telephone: 01508 333110
- Email: moo@oldhallfarm.co.uk (general) / oldhallfm@gmail.com (orders and markets)
- Address: Old Hall Farm, Norwich Road, Woodton, NR35 2LP
- Website: oldhallfarm.co.uk
- Facebook: @OldHallFm
- Instagram: @oldhallfarm
- Twitter: @OldHallFm
Whether you're after a bottle of truly raw, single-day Jersey milk, a Sunday roast with the family, a cut of pasture-fed Norfolk beef, or the chance to brush a Highland cow, Old Hall Farm is one of South Norfolk's most distinctive food and farming destinations - and a place where the welfare of the animals is genuinely built into the business plan.