A POPULAR farm shop near Alcester has taken joint first place in the regional finals of a national countryside awards scheme and is in contention for a British title.

Hillers Farm Shop at Dunnington, Warwickshire, was nominated by the public in the 2016 Countryside Alliance Awards – known as the Rural Oscars – and successfully reached the last four in the Local Food/Drink category.

It has now been selected by the award scheme judges to go through to the national finals and the winner will be announced at a reception in the House of Lords on Wednesday March 22.

The awards are the alliance’s annual celebration of rural produce, skills, enterprise and heritage through small hard-working businesses. More than 7,500 public nominations were submitted for the current awards and these were whittled down and judged to the regional finalists.

Judge Jill Grieve said Hillers is a family-run enterprise that just gets better and better. “We have honoured Hillers before in these awards, but since then they have extended their shop, cheese counter and butchery - selling Ragley Estate game too - installed a fish counter and also converted some farm buildings into a café that is so popular booking is essential.

“The Hillers family is part of the warp and weft of this Warwickshire community on the edge of the Ragley Estate and their commitment to food and farming, as well as their reputation as top local employers, makes the multi-strand farm shop a worthy winner.

“The fact that when the judges visited in January mince pies were still on sale because customers just couldn’t stop buying them says a lot about the popularity of the shop, as does the fact that it is standing strong even with the encroachment of Waitrose into Alcester and Stratford.

“A lot of family recipes and delicious local meat, game, as well as seasonal fruit and veg, give Hillers an edge. Sisters Emma and Sally are ever-present and fully focused on providing a welcoming family environment where taste and the best in British farming are paramount. Hillers customers are very, very lucky to have this gem on their doorstep.”

Sally Haines, director of Hillers, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be a regional winner. Our award arrived this week and there has been a celebratory atmosphere ever since. This year’s category of Local Food means a lot to us as we continue to support local farmers and producers alongside our thriving Hillers own range from our farm shop kitchen which is a major part of our business today.”

Hillers came joint first in the category with the Ludlow Food Centre which also progresses through to the national finals.