Member Article

Happy hens at Hogarths

Happy hens at a family-run business in Chadwick End have been egg-ceptionally busy supplying up to 1,800 eggs a week to a nearby luxury hotel.

Orchard Eggs started providing free-range eggs to Hogarths Hotel & Restaurant in Four Ashes Road, Dorridge, a year ago.

The busy wedding season meant instead of taking over 960 eggs each week, the order from head chef Alex Alexandrov increased to 1,800 eggs each week throughout August.

Fifth-generation farmer Jon Cloke and his wife, Angela, have over 30 years’ experience of providing a natural environment for their hens at their Chadwick End business.

Angela said Alex and general manager Steven Quick had visited the farm to see the hens for themselves.

“Happy hens produce high quality better tasting eggs,” she said. “All the birds are given freedom to roam and scratch allowing natural foraging to express their instinctive behaviour.

“We have a passion for traditional farming and we provide a natural, enjoyable environment for our hens.

“It was funny when Alex and Steven visited because my husband, Jon, showed Alex how to hold a hen properly but it is fair to say, he looked a little scared!

“He started screaming when the hen started wriggling but he didn’t let go which is to his credit but myself, Jon and Steven had tears of laughter rolling down our faces.

“You can’t beat free-range, locally produced products and more and more people are interested in the source of their food and drinks.

“It is definitely the way forward and far healthier, and I love taking the eggs to Alex and his team in the kitchens at Hogarths because the atmosphere is always bubbly and I feel we have a really good working relationship.

“Usually, we provide 80 dozen eggs to Hogarths each week but August was very busy with weddings at the hotel along with conference and restaurant bookings which meant we supplied 150 dozen eggs each week.

“In November and December it will be really busy again as we enter the Christmas party season and I also find another hot-spot is March and April because there is Pancake Day, Mother’s Day and the Easter holidays in quick succession.”

Steven, general manager at Hogarths Hotel & Restaurant, said the huge amount of eggs was needed for guests dining at the hotel and Bar8 Brassiere.

“We use eggs in many of our dishes from starters, main courses and desserts to afternoon teas, wedding breakfasts and school proms,” he said.

“Being able to visit the farm and see how well the hens are looked after was really encouraging and the Freedom Food accreditation that the farm holds is a great endorsement for the quality of eggs that they produce.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .