A FARM shop and cafe has gone into liquidation.

Roaming Roosters in Higham, a farm shop which sold free-range meat and had a bistro and coffee shop for the last six years, will no longer trade after falling into liquidation.

The business had closed five weeks ago, with no explanation from owners over the decision except a notice posted on the company’s Twitter page reading: “closed until further notice.”

Bosses at Companies House, which is the UK’s registrar of companies that incorporate and dissolve limited companies, have now revealed that the six-year-old business has fallen into liquidation and ceased trading. The details surrounding the reasons behind the liquidation have yet to be released.

The decision, which was made last Thursday, came following a virtual meeting held between the business’ creditors at the end of July.

Roaming Roosters, which first opened in 2012, was set up by family butchers Simon and Nick Mellin, both from Nelson.

In just 12 months the family business’ annual turnover shot up from £50,000 in 2012 to £1.2m in 2013, as reported in the national press.

The business’ initial success caught the eye of Nelson businessman Matthew Riley, chief executive of Daisy Group Plc.

Mr Riley, who has appeared as a judge on the BBC One business reality show The Apprentice with Lord Sugar, became a shareholder of Roaming Roosters back in March 2016.

But the entrepreneur resigned from the board of directors in October last year, just four months after £1million expansion plans were submitted to Pendle Council.

The plans set out an extension to the existing barn on the site as well as the creation of a children’s indoor play area and 20 new jobs. However these plans never came to fruition.

Mr Riley still owns the land but has confirmed he is not the operator and said no plans have been made for the future use of the site.

A spokesman for Matthew Riley said: “He is the landlord not the operator. The business has closed the site and we will have to consider what to do next.”

Records on Company House show that Andrew Jones is the last remaining director of the business and has been approached for comment.