Sky Park Farm: the Sussex deer park championing local produce

When the husband-and-wife duo bought Sky Park Farm in 2016, it was a very different place from the award-winning deer park, shop and restaurant it is today.

The 75-acre farm had been neglected for many years, although features such as stretches of oak trees, which might have been lost to modern farming techniques, remained untouched.

At thw time, Pierce and Victoria had been renting a home overlooking the farm for almost 15 years. When they decided they wanted to buy a property, their local connections meant they were offered the farm before it reached the market.

Running a farm was far removed from their experience at that time. Pierce was a historian and Victoria worked as a clerk to fund her legal training.

“A deer park and farm shop was a little off-piste from the specialist world of coins, medals and militaria,” says Pierce. “My enthusiasm for history and the estate manager’s understanding of the location led to the formation of a deer park. The land was unspoilt and the village has a history of deer-keeping spanning more than 800 years.”

Today, eight years after the couple acquired the site, Sky Park Farm is devoted to deer, which are farmed on site. The farm’s butchery offers prime cuts of venison, while visitors can get close to herds of red, white and sika deer and learn more about the animals at the visitors’ centre. They can also buy dear-themed cuddly toys at the centre’s gift shop. Venison is also used in the farm’s bar and grill in dishes such as steak, burgers and scotch eggs.

All this has become available at a rate of knots. “It’s been an extraordinary story of rapid organic growth. It has exceeded all our expectations,” says Victoria. “Our butchers’ counter is now three times its original size.”

The butchery team, which boasts more than 50 years’ experience, offers a selection of meats. And it allows shoppers to select cuts to be placed in a dry ager for a few weeks before being taken home.

In addition to the butchery, the farm shop offers a deli counter, seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables, baked goods and other groceries. In-store theatre is provided by a milk vending machine and bees in a glass-fronted hive.

“We relied on local suppliers to become established, and now the farm shop offers a platform for new producers,” explains Victoria. “Sky Park Farm is there to support and celebrate local producers and to be enjoyed by locals.

“The mission is simple: to fill the shelves with the very best produce. Fortunately, within 30 miles of Sky Park are some exceptional Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire producers, ranging from cheese to wine and chocolate to asparagus.” 

Products are chosen not only for their taste; Sky Park insists on everything it sells being sustainably packaged and produced.

“We strive to farm sustainably, leading the way with welfare standards and producing top-quality venison that has led a stress-free life in one location,” Victoria adds.

The couple have also worked to make Sky Park a community hub by offering culinary and arts & crafts courses, alongside activities for younger visitors. Those include an adventure playground and Ranger School courses such as animal tracking and campfire cooking.

The drive for local sourcing extends to recruitment, with the Noonans employing people from the Hartings area.

“Team is at the heart of this business and ours have young, fresh vision,” says Pierce. “We have employed experts for their knowledge and expertise and allowed them to apply their understanding and creativity, and the results speak for themselves.”

Those results were recognised in the 2024 Farm Shop & Deli Retailer Awards, where Sky Park Farm won the best small farm shop category.

“This has been a tremendous accolade for the team,” says Pierce. “We are enormously proud of them. To be acknowledged in this way proves they are on the right track, and will propel them to continue going the extra mile for our customers across every element of the business.”

Going the extra mile is an idea that clearly permeates Sky Park Farm and drives the business to offer its customers an experience as well as quality produce. 

As Victoria puts it: “At a time when shopping has become soulless through the use of self-checkout and online shopping, we are adamant about the need for human interaction and knowledgeable staff.”