There’s a saying that sums up the resourcefulness of a hill farmer in this part of the world. ‘It’s a bare hillside that he’ll cross over on which he won’t find something he’ll make use of.’
JOHN DUNNING, FOUNDER OF TEBAY SERVICES
When the M6 was built across John and Barbara Dunning’s farm in the late 1960s, they seized upon its potential to bring opportunity and prosperity to their family and community.
Opening Tebay Services in 1972, they were following in the footsteps of generations of upland farmers who have relied upon ingenuity, open mindedness and sheer hard work to live off some of the wettest and most inhospitable agricultural land in England.
Chapel Farm, on which Tebay Services stands, is a 1,000-acre holding between the villages of Tebay and Orton. It lies across a band of Cumbrian fells flanked by the Lake District and the Pennines, which now falls into the Westmorland Dales, an extension of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
The farm feeds our business with beef and lamb, via our butchers at Tebay Services.
Our beef herd is made up of traditional Northern breeds well suited to land that is classified by DEFRA as Severely Disadvantaged. They are part of an integrated farming system that has persisted on these exposed hills for centuries: turning the only viable crop – grass – into nutritious food while returning fertility to the soil.
We are always seeking to better understand and improve biodiversity, natural habitats and soil health on our land.
Over the next 3 years we will be planting just under 3,000 trees across the farm creating wildlife corridors which connect habitats and sequestering carbon.
We are restoring valuable peatland by holding water on the land, encouraging rewetting and carbon sequestration.
We are restoring areas of valuable biodiversity in our species rich traditional hay meadows.
We are introducing more variety to our swards which include legumes and herbs to improve soil health and animal health.
We are moving our animals regularly, allowing the ground to rest and the grass to recover, building soil health and improving grassland management.
John and Barbara’s elder daughter, Jane Lane, leads on the farming side and together with Farm Manager, Sion Morgan, and Assistant Farm Manager, Rosie Sampson, they are delivering outstanding food alongside strong environmental outcomes.
Sion is as enthusiastic as we are about finding the right animals for this environment and ensuring they continue to thrive. A keen competitor in sheepdog trials, Sion joined us in 2024 with his wife, Hannah, and son, James.
We don’t hurry things or cut corners. We produce only as much meat as our land can healthily support. Above all, we treat our animals with the reverence and respect they deserve. During the time they are with us in our care on the farm, they have the dignity of a good-quality life.
Butchery 7.30am-6pm
7.30am-8pm
Breakfast is served from 7.30am until 11.30am
Southbound Stations:
7.30am-9pm
24 hours
Southbound:
7am-10.45pm