At the foot of the Quantocks, Meadow Somerset is a new venture rooted in generations of family farming at East Lydeard. Opening Summer 2025, we’re bringing fresh energy to a much-loved space, serving up great food and speciality coffee, with exciting plans ahead to include accommodation, a woodland sauna and a new community space.

East Lydeard Farm is proudly owned by Tom and Tara Morris, 5th-generation farmers who’ve led the transition to organic dairy, championed nature-friendly practices alongside community focused businesses. Now, their daughter Amy is stepping into her own chapter with Meadow Café, reimagining the space as a welcoming, community-focused destination.

Please keep reading to hear about our diverse history that started way before Podshavers restaurant... 

Rooted in tradition, growing for the future.

Meadow Somerset is more than just a café, it's the latest chapter in the story of a family farm that has been part of the Bishops Lydeard community for many years.  

Tom and Tara's journey began with the local community in the 1950s and ‘60s as a traditional mixed farm, famous for its blackcurrants sold to Ribena. At the height of harvest season, over 200 local fruit pickers from Bishops Lydeard and surrounding villages would gather to help bring in the crop.

In 1978, we launched our first Pick Your Own fruit offering strawberries, raspberries, tayberries, loganberries, gooseberries, and currants, which became a summer staple for local families. We sold direct from the farm and through the Taunton markets and County Stores.

By the 1980s, our fields weren’t just for fruit, they hosted cricket matches too. The Flying Geese Cricket Team was born, and by the peak of the season we were hosting up to 90 games a year. In 1987, it only felt natural to add a tea room for visitors and match teas for players and supporters. That original tea room now forms the heart of Meadow Café.

Throughout the 1990s, we invited the public to explore the farm on organised walks, sharing our love of the land. In the 2000s, as a farming family we transitioned away from fruit and cricket, turning our attention back to the dairy farm. Transitioning to fully organic farming in 2000 on permanent pasture with an extensive grazing system on diverse herbal lays. We’re deeply committed to sustainability, animal welfare, and biodiversity.