Thorabella Farm in Dallas, Moray, is living proof that passion and fresh thinking can be the key to transforming a farming business.
Just eight years after purchasing their farm in 2017, Nikki and Ollie Lake have created a thriving mixed enterprise that combines water buffalo, Jersey cattle, Highland cattle, pigs, and sheep with a farm shop, on-site catering, holiday accommodation, and an increasingly popular visitor experience.
Their achievement has been recognised with the Diversified Farm of the Year award, sponsored by EQ Chartered Accountants, at the Scottish Agriculture Awards. For the couple, who had no family farming background, the recognition feels particularly special.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” says Nikki.
“We feel incredibly privileged and honoured to even be shortlisted, to be honest, because the other two farms are just huge and fantastic at what they’re doing, and they’ve been doing it for years. We were just thrilled to go down and have a nice night away with some like-minded people and never expected to win.”
The judges praised the couple for their infectious passion for both farming and agritourism, noting their authentic, rustic approach to welcoming visitors and their commitment to making the business work. As first-generation farmers, Nikki and Ollie have embraced every aspect of the lifestyle, learning from local farmers and friends whilst forging their own path.
Thorabella spans 40 acres owned plus an additional 60 acres rented. The farm is predominantly focused on water buffalo, with a herd that supplies meat directly to customers through the farm shop. They process approximately one buffalo per month on average, increasing to two in the run-up to Christmas. Alongside the buffalo, they run Highland cattle, around 80 commercial and Welsh Badger Face sheep, pigs, and four Jersey cows whose milk is sold through the shop and sent to a local company to be made into ice cream.
The farm shop has become a vital part of the business model, selling not only Thorabella’s own produce but also products from other local producers wherever possible.
“We support each other as much as we can,” says Nikki.
The shop stocks their buffalo meat, Highland beef, pork, and lamb, alongside Jersey milk and locally made ice cream.
“We always advertise meat as seasonal, so naturally we’ve got lamb just now, and then we’ll put a few ewes through later. Same with the Highland cattle – when one comes in, we’ll process it and it’s just a nice little change, especially for our regular local customers who keep us running throughout the year.”
When visitors arrive to experience the animal walk-arounds, they can also enjoy The Buffalo Bite, an on-site catering unit that takes the farm-to-fork journey to its tasty conclusion. Serving smash burgers made from their own buffalo meat and thick shakes made with their Jersey milk, it’s become a popular addition to the visitor experience and another way of showcasing the quality of what they produce on the farm.
But what truly sets the farm apart is the breadth of the visitor experience. The couple has developed straw bale cabins as holiday accommodation that remains busy from Easter through to autumn and although quieter in the winter, they do remain open year-round.
What many visitors don’t initially realise is the opportunity to walk around and see the animals up close.
“Some people come and don’t even know they can go around the animals,” says Nikki.
“They may have just been travelling Scotland and booked in the area. But we’ve also got other people who’ve come specifically to see the farm – they saw us on This Farming Life, or they’ve seen us on social media, and they’re really excited to be part of our journey and see the animals.”
To add an extra element of engagement, the couple has introduced more unusual species to the farm. Alongside rabbits raised for meat and sold as pets, visitors can see emus, wallabies, and most recently, capybaras.
“It just keeps people engaged coming onto the farm,” Nikki explains. “A lot of kids love seeing the farm animals, but it’s just that added wow factor when they’re walking around. It’s an unexpected little surprise.”
The couple run the farm with their two children, Emi (17) and Tobi (10), employing local teenagers to help out during busy periods. Ollie continues to work part-time at a local distillery, which allows flexibility for major farm jobs, whilst Nikki works full time on the farm. She’s also a Destination Leader for Moray with Scottish Agritourism, supporting members and helping to steer them towards resources and expertise within the network.
For Nikki and Ollie, there’s a particular drive that comes with being first-generation farmers.
“We have to make it work – there’s nobody to fall back on,” Nikki reflects. “It’s really up to us. If our kids are interested in taking it on, that’s amazing, but if not, it doesn’t matter. We just love what we’re doing right now.”
The couple acknowledge they’re at something of a crossroads. They’re exploring options to expand, either by finding additional land nearby or potentially selling up to move to a larger farm. But whatever the future holds, their commitment to authentic, farming and genuine visitor engagement remains at the heart of everything they do.
Looking ahead, Nikki is particularly excited about the Scottish Agritourism Global Conference coming to Scotland next year, which will bring around 1000 delegates from around the world.
“I think it’ll be super exciting learning what other people do in their agritourism businesses around the globe,” she says. “That’ll be really interesting, as will the conference itself and getting to visit the Scottish businesses opening their gates.”
For now, the Diversified Farm of the Year title is recognition that sometimes the freshest ideas come from those brave enough to start from scratch – and passionate enough to make it work against the odds.
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