Rhubarb Triangle Farm Shop
Polly Checkland Harding
Located outside of Wakefield, on the outskirts of Carlton village, the Rhubarb Triangle Farm shop is well worth the approximately 20-minute bus journey or drive from the city centre. Selling fantastic Yorkshire produce both from carefully selected suppliers as well as the farm the shop is based on, stock here includes free-range eggs from the farm’s hens, fresh breads, cheeses, flapjacks and tiffins, frozen seafood and local honey. There are also hot and cold sandwiches, pizzas, soups, coleslaws and potato salads in the deli. The butchery, which opened in December 2012, sells top cuts of meat as well as homemade sausages, kebabs and burgers and a range of meats containing rhubarb – the shop’s namesake and a speciality in the area.
In fact, cultivating rhubarb is a part of the farm shop’s history. The Dobson family who run the shop have been farming in Carlton since 1815, supplying the local community with fresh vegetables for over five generations. The buildings that the farm shop occupies were once mistals – a byre or shed used to house cows. The cattle occupied the ground floor, while hay and straw was stored above; this led John Edward Dobson to cultivate some of the first forced rhubarb, using the heat from the cows below to mature the plants early and bring them to market ahead of time. Later, the rhubarb was moved to purpose-built sheds and warmed using coal, the cows replaced with pigs and then hens.
Eventually, Simon Dobson led a team to refurbish the buildings as spaces in which to sell meat and dairy products, with a focus on value and friendly service. Today, shoppers can fill straw baskets with fruit and vegetables from open crates, as well as local produce with advantageously low food miles. There are wine racks and shelves stacked with chutneys and preserves lining the rustic space, with its exposed brick and wooden beams. Pay the Rhubarb Triangle Farm Shop a visit and come away with some unbeatable Yorkshire products.
