Holy cow! Beef farmer proposes on Christmas Day

Who says down and dirty cattle farmers can’t throw themselves knee deep into hugely elaborate, highly romantic gestures?

Tell that to Cotswolds girl Ella who unexpectedly unwrapped an engagement ring from her beefy boyfriend, and ‘perfect’ muddy match, Rob from under the tree on Christmas morning.

Rob, who had been up early on Christmas morning to tend to the 1,100 cows on the couple’s farm in Oxfordshire, planted the surprise, disguised as a gift for Ella to find, then popped the question as she opened it.

Not bad for a bloke who’d cheekily suggested he ‘could do with a hand on the farm and company when walking the dog’ on his online dating profile with us, just six month previously.

“He told me to open it last,” Ella laughs. “He’d wrapped the ring up as a present. It was a lovely surprise.”

Game fair and gun dog fan, Ella matched and met farmer Rob whilst online dating with us back in June 2022. Both 80% muddy, they lived just 25 miles apart – and just clicked. They promised at the time they were in it for the long haul.

Both are entrenched in the agricultural and equine world, and admitted they had ‘moved pretty quickly as a couple’, already talking of serious plans for the future together; it was testament to the mutual depth of feeling and countryside connection.

Now what started out as a few muddy dates down the cow sheds and in the combine of a balmy summer’s evening, has turned into all the excitement of a farm wedding with families ‘blended’.

Ella assures us their muddy roots will be recognised on the couple’s big day.

“We are thinking on Valentine’s Day 2024, and we be planning a farmers’ wedding with lots of tractors, straw bales, and not forgetting the wellies.

We’ll fetch our hat.

Trusted by country singles, Muddy Matches has been the UK’s original, award-winning home of rural dating and farmer love for well over 15 years now.

Matching based upon background, interests and outlook on country life, traditional online dating Muddy Matches has attracted over 3/4 million mud lovers, each looking to forge a countryside connection.

Who will you unearth?