From honesty box to award winner: the Hollies story

Every great farm shop has an origin story, and the Hollies has one of the best. What is now among the most celebrated farm shops in the North West began in 1959 as a simple vegetable stand by the roadside in Little Budworth, selling homegrown produce with an honesty box.

More than six decades later, that roadside stall has grown into a family business with a cabinet of awards. Most recently, the Hollies was named Local Produce Shop of the Year 2025 by Taste Cheshire, a fitting recognition for a business built on local food.

The family history is rich in detail. In 1959, Edward, known affectionately as Dick, and Rose moved into the Hollies house, and their son Richard, then farming at Fennywood Farm in Little Budworth, joined them with £100 in his pocket and a £100 loan from his bank manager in Runcorn. The family sold their produce on the markets in Runcorn, and when the honesty box was stolen, it prompted the opening of the first proper shop.

Richard and his wife Hilary built the business over the years that followed, and today Phil and Ed Cowap represent the third generation of the family at the helm.

The Hollies has grown well beyond its original site. Alongside the flagship farm shop in Little Budworth, there is a shop at Lower Stretton, the Hollies on the High Street in Tarporley, and Hollies Retreats, offering a place to stay. The Little Budworth shop includes its own butchery, and the business remains firmly rooted in Cheshire produce.

Visitors who know it well will tell you that the Hollies comes into its own as the year draws in. Cheshire Life has described the Little Budworth shop as a must-see at Christmas, when the festive displays draw families from across the county and beyond.

For a business that started with a few vegetables and a trusting box at the side of the road, it is a remarkable journey, and one that the Cowap family has kept firmly in Cheshire hands.

The Hollies Farm Shop's flagship is at Little Budworth, near Tarporley, with further shops at Lower Stretton and Tarporley. Visit theholliesfarmshop.co.uk.