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Meet the Team

Behind everything we do at Priory Farm is a team of 200 dedicated individuals, each playing a vital role in creating the experiences our visitors enjoy.

From farm management and recipe development to customer experience, hospitality, retail, and beyond, our team brings together a wide range of skills, expertise, and passions.

In our Meet the Team series, we’re celebrating just a handful of the incredible people who help make Priory Farm what it is.

Join us as we explore their journeys, discover what they love about their roles, and learn what inspires them every day.

Elaine J.

Home & Gift Buyer (Garden Centre)

Elaine Jones | Home & Gift Buyer (Garden Centre)

Tell us about your role.

As Home & Gift Buyer at the Garden Centre, I’m responsible for selecting and purchasing our giftware, children's toys and seasonal collections. This includes curating ranges for key events throughout the year, such as Christmas, Easter and Halloween, which are always exciting and important seasons for the Estate.

I work closely with the Garden Centre team to plan seasonal displays and store layouts, helping to create inspiring shopping experiences for our customers. From selecting products to merchandising them in-store, it’s rewarding to see everything come together.

I’m always looking out for new trends, unique products and fresh ideas that will delight our customers. One of the most enjoyable parts of the role is hearing positive feedback from both customers and colleagues when a new range proves popular.

What is your favourite part of your role?

I enjoy working closely with our suppliers, attending trade fairs and visiting showrooms to discover new products and upcoming trends. One of the highlights of the year is travelling to Holland each January to plan and buy our Christmas collections.

With a background in retail buying and merchandising, I also love analysing data and identifying opportunities within our ranges. And yes, I’m always happy setting up a spreadsheet – or two!

What is your favourite product at the Garden Centre?

That’s a difficult question, as I’m spoilt for choice!

At the moment, my favourite product is the Sea Salt Candle from our new Flora Lab home fragrance collection. It has a beautifully fresh scent and is a wonderful addition to any home.

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David R.

Garden Centre Department Manager

David Randall | Garden Centre Department Manager

Tell us about your time at Priory Farm so far.

I’m three months into my role here at Priory Farm, and I feel like I’ve already experienced every season in a single stretch - rain, wind, snow, hail and, thankfully, some beautiful sunshine too.

What’s been lovely to see is that none of it has put our customers off. The Estate has stayed busy, and as the season has developed, the plant area has truly transformed into a stunning display of colour and life.

I feel very fortunate to work in such a beautiful setting every day and have had the pleasure of meeting so many great people across the Estate, all of whom have made settling in so easy.

A special thank you has to go to my Garden Centre team - their support, energy and enthusiasm have made this first chapter here such an enjoyable and exciting journey to be part of.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

There are really two things that stand out for me.

Firstly, seeing customers genuinely excited and happy with the products we offer and the service the team delivers. Even when things don’t go perfectly, having the opportunity to put it right and leave a customer satisfied is incredibly rewarding.

Secondly, the variety. No two days are ever the same - there’s always something happening, planning to be done, or a new challenge to get stuck into.

And of course, the learning never stops. Working with such a knowledgeable team means I’m discovering more about plants every single day.

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Abi M.

Garden Room Café Manager

Abi Mcneall | Garden Room Café Manager

Tell us about your time at Priory Farm so far.

As the Garden Room Café Manager, I’m responsible for the overall success of the café, making sure that everything runs smoothly day to day, that our customers have an exceptional experience, our food and beverages are of the highest quality and the team’s feel supported, motivated, and work seamlessly together to keep the place thriving. I believe leading from the front and working alongside the team is the most effective approach to get the best results out of the team. I like to muck in with everyone else when it’s busy and keep the mood upbeat no matter how hectic things get. A positive atmosphere makes all the difference – if the team’s happy, the customers feel it too. There’s nothing better than that moment at the end of a long day, when we can all take a breath, have a laugh and feel proud of what we’ve pulled off together.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

The most rewarding part of the job has to be seeing our younger team members grow – some start at sixteen, a bit nervous on their first day, growing and learning on the job and in some cases end up running shifts with total confidence! It gives me immense pride to see this happen year after year. And of course, seeing our regulars come back time and time again is great.

What is your favourite dish at the Café?

It has got to be the Black Garlic Chicken Caesar salad! It’s so flavoursome and I love all the different textures – from the crispy bacon and homemade croutons to the juicy marinated chicken – it all works so well together as a dish.

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Emma B.

Shop Floor Manager (Farm Shop)

Emma Bushell | Shop Floor Manager (Farm Shop)

Tell us about your time at Priory Farm so far

My career at Priory Farm began in 2011 when I joined as a Sales Assistant at the Farm Shop. As my confidence built, I developed a passion for retail and love building relationships with our local customers. Over the past 13 years, I have progressed within the company, including Supervisor, Duty Manager, and most recently, Shop Floor Manager.

It feels very fitting to be here, I have many happy memories visiting the farm growing up, so being part of the team as the Estate continues to grow is very exciting.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I am very creative and love all the seasonal displays we put together here in the Farm Shop. There is nothing more rewarding than hearing our customers’ positive feedback on the displays we create. From different cuisines, seasonal produce, seaside picnics and holiday magic – we’ll cover it all! And this year, we’re aiming to make our displays even bigger and better than ever before.

I also look forward to seeing what the other teams across the Estate come up with – there’s always something new brewing.

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Johnnie S.

Agricultural Supervisor (Estate Team)

Johnnie Shinner | Agricultural Supervisor (Estate Team)

Tell us about your time at Priory Farm so far.

My journey at Priory Farm truly began the day I was born in 1992, and since then, I’ve had the privilege of watching the farm evolve and grow alongside me.

Over the years, I’ve learned the ins and outs of farming life, working closely with my family to understand every aspect of what makes Priory Farm so special. Today, I’m proud to be the Agricultural Supervisor, overseeing all of our planting and crop management. I’m particularly passionate about the beautiful fields of daffodils, sunflowers, and pumpkins that have become a highlight for our pick-your-own visitors each season.

I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of a farm that’s not just a business, but my family legacy. And while I’ve already spent decades learning and growing here, there’s so much more to come – this is just the beginning of an exciting future for both Priory Farm and myself.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

If I had to choose, it would be when the pumpkins have ripened in the fields! There’s something special about watching the fields transform into a sea of orange. Harvesting pumpkins is hard work but always rewarding, knowing they bring so much joy to our visitors picking their perfect pumpkin in the fields (or picking one up at the Farm Shop). A close second would be our sunflowers, especially just before they bloom. The anticipation of seeing the fields burst into golden colour is always exciting. Both pumpkins and sunflowers are more than just crops – they represent the incredible cycle of nature and the hard work and care that go into nurturing our land.

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Annie W.

Discovery Land Feature and Trail Designer

Annie Wainwright | Discovery Land Feature and Trail Designer

Tell us about your role here at Priory Farm.

I design the nature trails and features for Discovery Land. This includes creating the original characters, coming up with the storytelling, creating and painting the illustrations, researching and building the nature trail content, designing the play features and any decorations! Anything we build or create comes from a corner of my imagination or input from our internal team. But it’s not just me that makes it happen – we have a team that work so hard behind the scenes. Builders, carpenters, blacksmiths, craftsmen, handymen, teachers and other members of staff have helped bring these inspiring ideas to life!

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Creativity is everything to me and this role allows me to indulge in two of my greatest loves - creativity and the natural outdoors. My brain loves to come up with ideas, craves to develop them… and then I get so much joy actually creating them and making them happen for the families that come to visit us! There is nothing better than coming up with a crazy idea, developing it into a story, a trail, a feature or event and then delivering this from concept to creation and then seeing children scream with delight when they experience it for the first time. I am passionate about children spending time among nature and the outdoors and being inspired by their own imagination - this is for them. Along with this, knowing everyday that my Grandfather also walked this land himself, coming up with his own dreams and agricultural ‘designs’ - brings with it a joy and warmth that you cannot buy.

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Andy M.

Horticulture Floor Manager (Garden Centre)

Andy Mason | Horticulture Floor Manager (Garden Centre)

Tell us about your time at Priory Farm so far.

My passion for plants goes way back to my childhood days spent with my Nana, picking strawberries at the Pick-Your-Own here at Priory Farm back in the 1970s! Fast forward to February 2023, I officially joined the Garden Centre team. One of my first projects was to design the planting scheme for our new main entrance, transforming it into a beautiful welcome for our visitors.

Just nine months into my journey here, I was promoted to Horticulture Floor Manager. Leading a team of passionate individuals who share my love for all things green has been incredibly rewarding. It’s an exciting time for us as we continue to grow, and I’m thrilled about the plans for our plant area expansion and the introduction of new quality ranges.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Not many people can boast about having an office like this - surrounded by lush greenery, vibrant blooms, and fresh air! It never fails to inspire me.

But it’s not just the physical surroundings that make Priory Farm really special. It’s the atmosphere of optimism and the shared desire to be the best that truly sets it apart. There’s a real sense of camaraderie among the team, a collective determination to grow, evolve, and excel in everything we do.

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Sandra H.

Farm Shop Deli Assistant

Sandra H | Farm Shop Deli Assistant

Tell us about your time at Priory Farm so far.

I've been part of the Priory Farm family for 38 years, so I've seen a lot of change over that time!

I started out in the Plant Centre in its early days, helping to care for and grow the young plants. From there, I moved over to Pick Your Own, where I weighed the fruit our visitors had picked and looked after customers at the tills. Later, I returned to the Plant Centre to work in both the shop and the tea room.

Around three years later, I made the move across to the Farm Shop Deli, and I've been here ever since! It's been wonderful to see the Estate evolve over the years while still keeping that welcoming, family feel that makes it such a special place to work. It's changed so much since I first started, and it's been a real privilege to be part of that journey.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I genuinely love everything about my job. The people I work with are fantastic, and there's such a lovely atmosphere across the whole Estate.

Working in the Deli is especially enjoyable because no two days are ever quite the same. I'm a big cheese lover, so being surrounded by so many wonderful cheeses certainly helps! I also really enjoy chatting to our customers, getting to know our regulars and helping people discover something new to take home.

What's your favourite product?

Cheese will always have a place in my heart, but our homemade quiches are a real favourite too, especially since we started making them in our Farmhouse Kitchen.

If I had to pick just one, it would be the Sicilian quiche. It's like a little taste of Italy and absolutely delicious. As for cheese, Snowdonia Rock Star is my go-to if I'm after something full of flavour, while Barber's Vintage Cheddar is perfect for everyday eating.

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Join Our Team

Whether you’re an experienced professional or looking to kick-start your career in the food and retail industry, we offer a supportive and inclusive work environment that encourages growth and learning.

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