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17
Jun
Harrogate farm launches afternoon tea with sheep venture
A farm near Harrogate is to launch a new venture in association with Mama Doreen's Emporium that enables people to enjoy afternoon tea with sheep.
Chris and Claire Douthwaite, who own High Snape Farm at Kirkby Overblow, have set up Blooming Sheep as a rural retreat alongside their working farm.
They will start offering the Afternoon Tea with Ewe experience on July 12 — the day after the Great Yorkshire Show.
Guests can sip tea and enjoy sandwiches alongside four Valais Blacknose sheep and have the chance to feed them ginger biscuits.
The couple were inspired to begin what is described as “a unique and utterly Instagrammable experience” after noticing people's reaction to their sheep at the Great Yorkshire Show:
Ms Douthwaite said:
We just can't get away from people when we're there. We're inundated with people wanting to come and see the sheep.
They're just so lovely, so I thought I need to do something where people can spend time with them. 'I just thought ‘how lucky am I to be able to experience this and how amazing would it be for other people to experience it?’ And then we thought how people could really benefit. From a wellbeing perspective, you just feel so much better for being with them.”
Pic: KG Photography
Third-generation farmer Mr Douthwaite admits he finds it difficult to understand what all the fuss is about:
It's hard for me to believe that people want to come and hug a sheep, as I work with them every day. But Claire wants to share the wellbeing boost they bring.
Valais Blacknose sheep are known as the world’s cutest sheep and are also highly sociable.
Visitors will pay £45, or £35 for children, for a 90-minute classic afternoon tea slot prepared by Harrogate-based Mama Doreen’s.
The experience will run every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday throughout July and August.
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