“She helped me rescue a lost calf on our third date!”

The muddy love story of Steve and Anna.

Livestock farmer Steve had always been too busy tending to his 230-strong herd to dedicate too much time to dating. But when he joined Muddy Matches in the summer of 2023, he did so in hope of discovering someone who understood his rural way of life.

That’s where he crossed paths with Anna, who spent many a weekend exploring the countryside, and keen to mutually match with someone who shared her love of the great outdoors. From the very first message, conversation flowed naturally, due in large part by Anna’s eagerness to find out more about his Angus and Herefords.

After connecting online for a few weeks, with a few video calls thrown in for good measure, their first date was a hike through the Yorkshire Dales, where Anna impressed Steve with her knowledge of how to read a map. One picnic, and a surprise rain shower later, they were laughing like old soulmates, huddled under a tree, sharing a flask of tea.

That damp picnic turned into a hearty post-hike pub meal where the connection, and chemistry, was set.

Openly townie at 50% muddy, Anna quickly embraced farm life proving her profile right in that she was more than prepared to get her hands dirty. By autumn, Anna was helping Steve with calving season, and swapping her walking boots for wellies most weekends, making the short journey across the Pennines to see her match.

Now, almost two years on, they’re making big plans. “We’re talking about building a life together on the farm,” Steve says with a smile. “She’s definitely the best thing that’s ever walked into my fields.”

“I knew straight away Anna wasn’t afraid of a bit of mud—she even helped me rescue a lost calf on our third date!” he laughs.

Originally from Rochdale, Anna is as smitten with the realities of the rural life she has settled into, as she is with her farmer boyfriend.

“I love how hands-on the farm is,” she says. “Steve is pretty chilled and easy to get on with. He’s charming and he does have a romantic side, even if he does try a bit too hard to hide it; it must be a farmer thing. I can see myself here for the long haul.”

They say love founded on common ground is the best kind, and for Steve and Anna, that couldn’t be truer.