About Pickering Family Farm

Family-Run, Hunter Valley Grown

Pickering Family Farm is a small, family-run farm based in Quorrobolong, NSW, in the foothills of the Hunter Valley. We grow, raise, and source quality produce and pantry staples for families in our local area — with a focus on doing things properly rather than at scale.

What started as feeding our own family has grown into a small online farm shop that lets neighbours, friends, locals and those near and far order the same produce we put on our own table.

Our Story

Pickering Family Farm (as you know it today) has grown from our family’s desire to access wholesome and nutritious foods. Our journey started almost ten years ago when we went on the search for minimally processed, non-homogenised milk. It was quite astounding to us that we struggled to be able to buy milk (one of the oldest foods known to man) that was not homogenised.

We have grown our own farm from a few backyard chickens to become a small working farm in Quorrobolong, with the whole family pitching in. We're not trying to be the biggest — we're trying to do it with care and respect, with a focus on creating quality for us and our customers.

We mix all our own feeds here on the farm, so our animals are in the best possible health. It is important to us that we know exactly what our animals are eating, and thus what we're eating (especially given the hidden additives and by-products that are commonly present in commercial feeds).

That same thinking is what took us beyond our own front gate. There was plenty we wanted for our family that we couldn't raise ourselves, so we went looking for it — real food, free of the processed shortcuts.

Through the years we have gradually sourced almost all of our needs (and wants), significantly improving our quality of life and ultimately limiting our need to go to supermarkets.

It is with great pride that we have been able to source a wide range of products, and we are proud to now extend our buying power to like-minded people in our community, so other families can get the same without spending all of their time hunting around.

How Our Online Farm Shop Works

A bit more detail than the homepage version — the honest, end-to-end picture.

1

Browse & Order Online

Browse the shop any time during the week and add what you'd like to your cart (subject to specific product order cutoffs). If you're logged in, your cart saves between visits, so you can build it up over a few days before checking out.

If there's a product you order regularly, you can set up a recurring / subscription order — your milk, bread, or whatever staple it is gets queued automatically each week or fortnight, with full ability to skip, edit, or cancel from your account.

2

Pick a Collection Date

Most orders are prepared for collection on Fridays from 3:30pm and over the weekend by arrangement, but the available dates can vary by product depending on when our suppliers deliver to us — the shop will guide you to the right options for what's in your cart.

Different products can have different order cutoffs. Perishables are typically ordered in fresh against your order, so they have an earlier cutoff than pantry items. The cart will tell you the cutoff times before you checkout, and you can split your cart across multiple collection dates if it makes sense for what you've ordered.

3

Collect from the Farm

Pop out to Quorrobolong at your chosen time. The exact collection address and the pickup window for the day are sent in your order confirmation email — so you'll have everything you need on your phone when you arrive.

Our model is built on honesty. We're passionate enough about getting good food to our community that we carry all the risk: you pre-order, collect from the farm, and pay on collection.

If life gets in the way and you can't make it, just give us a call or email before the cutoff. We'd much rather reschedule than have you miss the slot — perishable items in particular can't always be kept past the planned collection day.

What You'll Find In The Shop

We focus on wholesome, minimally processed foods — the kind of staples that are harder to find at a regular supermarket but make a real difference to how you eat day-to-day. Our range is grouped into six main areas:

Dairy

Cultured, non-homogenised, and made the way it used to be.

Non-homogenised Jersey milk — richer, creamier, and easier on the gut than standard supermarket milk. Naturally A2 protein.
Fresh cream and double cream — for cooking, baking, or just on top of dessert.
Real butter — great on bread, in baking, or melted over veg.
Live yoghurt and kefir — properly cultured, gut-friendly, nothing weird added.
A rotating range of cheeses — for the table, the cheese board, or the lunchbox.

Meat

Quality meat for the family table.

Beef — mince, steaks, roasts, slow-cook cuts.
Lamb — chops, roasts, mince and shanks.
Chicken — whole birds and individual cuts.
Turkey — whole and portioned, depending on the season.

Specific cuts can be requested if you don't see them listed — just ask.

Bakery

Real bread, properly fermented — including options for households that need them.

Organic sourdough — genuinely long-fermented, wheat-alternative options for households after something better than the supermarket loaf.
Gluten-free breads — for those who need them, that actually taste good rather than just ticking a box.
Wheat-alternative breads — spelt and other heritage grain options.

Certified Organic Fruit & Vegetables

Certified organic, and genuinely seasonal.

Seasonal fruit — what is actually being picked, so the range moves through the year.
Seasonal vegetables — certified organic, for the weekly veg box or to fill gaps in an order.
Certified organic — not "spray-free" or "chemical-free", but certified.

Availability changes week to week — the shop only lists what we can actually get.

Organic Nuts & Mindful Foods

Activated and organic nuts, seeds and pantry goods.

Activated nuts — soaked and slow-dried rather than roasted, which many people find easier to digest.
Organic nuts and seeds — for snacking, baking, or a topping on the morning yoghurt.
Mindful Foods range — superfoods, coconut products and pantry goods from a maker that does things carefully.

Pantry & Specialty

The wholesome bits that round out a weekly order.

Cooking essentials — oils, vinegars, condiments, seasonings.
Wholesome snacks — minimally processed, sensible ingredient lists.
Specialty items — the kind of thing that's hard to find at a supermarket but makes a real difference day-to-day.
Free-from options — gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free and more, filterable in the shop by dietary tag.

A couple of honest notes

Fruit and veg is seasonal. Our certified organic fruit and vegetables come and go with the growing season, so the range changes through the year and some weeks a favourite simply isn't available. The rest of the shop is geared toward weekly staples, so treat the produce as the part that varies.

Some products come through wholesalers. As much as we'd love to buy direct, most small producers don't sell direct to small retailers like us anymore. The upside is that between the wholesalers we use, we have access to thousands of products — so if there's something specific you'd like that we don't already list, there's a good chance we can get it in.

Just ask. If a particular product or brand matters to you, drop us a message and we'll let you know whether we can source it.

Why Pre-Order Rather Than Walk-In?

A Fuller Range

We order in based on what customers actually ask for, rather than guessing what people might want. You'll often find products available that a walk-in shop simply couldn't justify keeping on the shelf.

Less Waste

Most perishable items aren't ordered in until a customer has actually ordered them, so very little goes off on the shelf. Regularly-selling products are kept on hand so common orders can be filled quickly.

Fairer Prices

No overheads of staffing a retail shop — and we pass those savings on.

More Time on the Farm

And less time behind a counter.

It's a different model to a supermarket, but once you've done it once it's just part of the weekly routine.