How a Sheffield hobby created 'by accident' won over Mel B and landed on popular TV show
Pop icons Mel B and the Spice Girls are among the famous faces who have supported a Yorkshire candle-making business featured in Channel 5’s Our Great Yorkshire Life.
What started as an accidental hobby in a spare bedroom has turned into a dream business for one Sheffield maker — and even Spice Girl Mel B is a fan.
Rachel set up Meadow Farm Lifestyle after receiving a gift, never imagining her home-poured candles would end up in regional boutiques and the hands of famous names.
“Now people like Mel B and the Spice Girls have had my candles. Caroline Hirons has bought my candles, she's also a well respected figure in the beauty industry,” Rachel said while speaking to our sister title Yorkshire Post.
“I've had a lot of support and that's really helped my brand, which is invaluable to have those people backing you.”
Her blend of candle making and daily life on the farmstead quickly built a dedicated Instagram following.
That social media presence caught the eye of Chloe, a producer on Channel 5's Our Great Yorkshire Life, who invited Rachel and her husband Philip onto the show.
Viewers were treated to beekeeping, pig auctions, candle pouring, and even the creation of 'Cluckingham Palace' — an upgraded coop featuring wallpaper and disco balls for their chickens.
“It’s a real feel-good show, like a warm hug, I would say,” Rachel said. “The reaction was really positive and everyone loved our segment and said they want to see more of us.”
The business has already grown out of the spare room and into a barn, with another expansion planned in a few weeks.
Her creations are now stocked in Harewood Farm shop and Hoopers in Harrogate, with a collaboration coming up with perfume brand Olfactive O in aid of Beauty Banks.
Alongside the business, the couple rehome injured farm animals and support charities including Ukraine Yorkshire Aid Charity