A FAMILY who opened the doors to their new farm shop in July have now secured an alcohol licence.
Rob and Celia Williams, of Abbey Farm, on Abbey Road in Rhuddlan, applied to Denbighshire County Council’s Licensing Authority for a premises licence to sell alcohol (for consumption both on and off the premises) between Thursday and Sunday from 10am until 6pm.
They also requested a seasonal variation over summer when the campsite is open, and from the middle weekend of November to Christmas Eve — Monday to Sunday, 10am until 6pm.
Non-standard timings were also sought for evening “taster” sessions “as appropriate”. The taster evenings will be held on either Thursday, Friday or Saturday evenings between 6pm and 10pm.
Celia said: “When we launched our farm shop in July, we knew the missing piece was to offer our customers a range of wines, spirits and beers so were thrilled to receive our alcohol license.
“As with all our products, it’s important to us to source as much from across North Wales, to support local and keep the money in the area.
“It’s been lovely to find these gems and the stories behind them so hope our customers enjoy the range.”
The farm shop is open to both campers on-site and the wider community.
It is stocked with beef, lamb, pork, and free-range eggs — all reared at the farm — alongside a carefully chosen selection of quality local produce from small businesses across North Wales.
At the time of opening the shop, Celia told the Journal: “Since opening our campsite in 2021, we’ve often been asked: 'Will you ever open a farm shop?'
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“At first, we weren’t sure. Running a busy family farm and campsite leaves little time for anything else, and the investment felt like a big step. But over the past year, we’ve seen the challenges facing UK farmers grow from everchanging government policies that are destroying farming and rural communities and supermarkets importing cheaper, lower-quality meat from abroad.
“Quite frankly, it has made us angry, so we decided to channel this into something positive and opening a farm shop felt like the right thing to do.
“We believe the UK farming industry is the best in the world, with leading animal welfare standards and quality you can trust. Our animals are grass-fed, well cared for, and raised to the highest standards, and we believe that should matter when it comes to the food you put on our family’s table.”
Rob is the fourth generation of the Williams family to farm Abbey Farm, which has been in operation for more than 120 years.
The site began as a dairy farm. Today, it is a mixed farm spanning about 350 acres, home to 300 store cattle and 550 sheep.
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