spaynes hall farm meats

2011-02-18T18:12:00.002Z

Time to defend our title of Jimmy's Farm UK Sausage Producer of 2009

2010-08-24T19:05:00.010+01:00

We'll be at Jimmy's Farm this weekend for their Sausage and Beer festival, defending our title of Jimmy's Farm UK Sausage Producer of 2009. Tony Hadley and the Sausage King are judges again - and it's a blind tasting again so hopefully we'll still come out on top!

It will be a great weekend as they lay on music and activities for all the family while being able to buy cooked and fresh produce from some really great producers. And unlike last year we're getting some help in the form of my sister and her husband. So we might get a break!

In other news, my Carpentry & Joinery Course at the specialist construction training centre Able Skills in Dartford is going really well and I've already whizzed through half of the assessments in the first two weeks! I am not sure how i am quite going to stretch the rest out over another eight weeks but there you go, apparently I have a talent I never knew about!!!

Better late than never!

2010-08-02T19:47:00.008+01:00

So, where to start.
The only and most obvious answer to that is: Sorry for not writing sooner. Although life has been more that a little topsy turvy it is of course no excuse for not spending five minutes jotting a little something down.
I am fully aware of how disastrous I have been at writing the blogs and should have realised it would go this way after my exploits trying to write a diary when i was nine. (one enthusiastic week of writing and i ran out of things to say!!!)
I was very embarrassed recently when I remembered I should be writing a blog and the last post was from my sister wishing everyone a happy new year!

I thought I might give a little short list of the relevant points in my/the farms recent history...

1. My wife and I almost emigrated to Uganda to start a large scale farm. We planned to import a rather better quality breed as the image below is an example of the native breed which, even when undernourished, seemed to put alot of its energy into growing horns!

2. We have been breeding some excellent Red Polls, particularly Ronald, who is hopefully going to be a champion Bull!

3. I have decided to take up carpentry as a secondary source of income!

4. I have trained for and completed the 3 Peaks Challange which consists of walking up Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdonia in under 24 hours, raising £2,025 and doing it in 21 hours 38 minutes - not bad!

5. My sister has been persuaded to help and currently she and her husband are enjoying doing Linton Farmers Market on the first Saturday of every month.

We have also been battling on with the day to day routine on the farm and taking some happy snaps on the way!

I hope you are all well
Jim

Happy New Year!

2010-01-16T12:57:00.006Z

It's been a while, but we're busy as ever.

Lots from Jim soon, but in the meantime Juliet's working on a Google Map to show which Farmers' Markets we're going to be at.

Here it is:
View Spaynes Hall Farm Meats Farmers Markets in a larger map

With our lovely little icons, which we're hoping to ask our friends running the farmer's markets to use on their websites:

Hylands Park Farmers Market

2009-12-06T21:44:00.012Z

Still playing stand-in while James completed his weekend bender to celebrate his best friend's birthday, I dragged dear husband along to Hylands Park, to sell our rare breed beef at the farmers market there.

The main house is stunning, as you can see above, but the day began with such a downpour that it was a little difficult to appreciate until later on. We struggled in a particularly comical manner with the delightful gazebo, which nearly blew away much to our neighbour's amusement. Finally though, with the help of the lovely Pauline who runs the market, we were up and running...

But where were the customers?

Unfortunately the rain had well and truly stopped play. Lots of dog-walkers popped by, and we gave them (and their bedraggled dogs!) samples of our melt-in-the-mouth cold roast rolled rib, but who takes their wallet to walk the dog? At around 2.30 it started to pick up a bit, and was busy-ish until 3.30, but sales were slow. Like at Linton, once we'd persuaded people to taste the meat they were much more likely to buy, but it just wasn't somewhere full of people buying ingredients - they were more interested in the cafe or the art galleries at the big house. So, a disappointing take, where the biggest learning was to take a thermos and thicker socks!However, the small band of eight stall-holders were an optimistic lot, and everyone stuck it out for the whole day with lots of good cheer for such a chilly day. Here they are...

The very lovely Made By Cass was right next to us, with beautiful homemade jewellery. I bought a Christmas present for someone but I can't mention it here til after Christmas! Cass and her husband enjoyed our beef tasters and they sent so many of their customers in our direction that we gave them a little thank you treat at the end of the day in the form of a pack of our lovely minced beef. You can find lots of her jewellery online to buy here: http://www.madebycass.com/

I bought a very delicious peach muffin from the lovely man at Mrs Crumbles Cakes (no website yet - I'll post it as soon as they're up and running).

Stour Valley Smokehouse had absolutely divine tasters of their paprika smoked goat's cheese. The spice gave it a really unusual soft powdery finish on the outside which offset the creamiest goat's cheese I've ever tried - it was more like a really ripe brie! I very stupidly didn't get any before he left. His salmon mousse was pretty special too...

Mcarthy's were selling beautiful bountiful breads and warming soups, as well as naughty viennese fingers and chocolate brownies. Yes we succumbed...

The Giggly Pig knew what they were doing - with a little grill to cook samples of their myriad of flavoured sausages. My favourite though was the faggot... hhhmmmmmm meaty goodness.

The award for Most Cheerful Man of the Day has to go to Essex Larders - his optimism never failed, just like his pies which were a triumph of good traditional fare with a contemporary twist. The 'sexy' pies were truly intriguing...

The very friendly Essex Wildlife Trust were also there, selling memberships. However as the husband is in the picture I took he won't let me put it up!!

So, what we missed in custom was certainly made up for by the cheer and good feeling from everyone who was able to make it out - thanks to everyone we met. Though I won't be volunteering for another outdoor market in a big hurry as I think my feet have only just started to warm up six hours later!

Hylands Park Farmers Market is held every Sunday from 10am to 4pm, at the Stables Visitor Centre. We're not always there though - Jim's next visit is on Sunday 20th December.

Juliet D-H

Linton Farmers Market

2009-12-06T18:42:00.014Z

James went off to a wedding this weekend & I stood in, roping in my dear new husband for moral support (and to lift the heavy stuff of course). Yesterday we took some of Jim's fabulous rare breed pork to Linton Farmers Market.

A half day market, it was very busy, with lots of people shopping for Christmas joints to freeze til they need them. We tempted everyone with tastings of a cold roast shoulder, which worked a treat - we sold every joint! Our award-winning sausages also went down a storm. We came away feeling extremely proud of ourselves, particularly since the cashbox told the same story meaning we could carry it home like a trophy.

It was really interesting to experience a farmer's market as a trader, since I'm so often on the other side of the stall. I learned a lot about making sales - there's a very fine line between being too pushy and gently persuading people to purchase for the first time. My experience of being a customer myself made me cautious initially, but I soon realised that people are genuinely interested in our story of local farming, and our family's support of rare breeds really does catch the imagination. The number of repeat customers was really heart-warming, with so many saying that they'd stopped buying anyone else's pork! It helped having two of us working the stall so that we could talk to so many more people. I also needed the mathmatical abilities of my other half as I realised my mental arithmatic is seriously rusty!

Linton Farmers Market is held every first Saturday of each month, from 9.30 to 12.30, at Linton Village College in Cambridgeshire, which is here: http://www.farmersfayres.co.uk/linton.html
PLEASE NOTE: there won't be a market in January.

Other friendly stall holders included: Artistry In Cocoa, Jane's Cupcakes, Laura's Cakes & Cookies, Cobs Bakery

Juliet D-H

Long Melford Farmers Market

2009-11-21T14:23:00.009Z

I took the sister to Long Melford Farmers Market today, so that she can cover for me in a few weeks time when I'm off to a friend's wedding. We did have to keep telling people we were brother and sister though, as there were a few who assumed we were married and that was just a little strange!

It was nice to see some regulars back again - our beef really does sell itself once tasted - and some new faces who we tempted with the rare-breed beef joints and steaks we were selling. It's a very good, well-advertised market, with a nice mix of different kinds of stalls, but we could really feel the pregnant pause in the pre-Christmas trade, as people save for next month's big spend. The right number of people came through the doors but they just weren't spending, so we had pretty average takings.

We'll be there again on the 19th of December (it's every 3rd Saturday of the month), hoping to pick up some of the Christmas trade. We'll have joints at the market, and we can take orders in advance as well. Perfect for a Christmas roast... who says you have to have turkey?!

Long Melford Farmers Market is held on the 3rd Saturday of the month between 10am-1pm, in the village hall, here: http://www.longmelford.co.uk/Whats%20On%20in%20Long%20Melford/Weekly%20Events/

Saturday 21st Nov 10-1: we're selling beef at Long Melford Farmer's Market

2009-11-21T00:07:00.005Z

Tomorrow we'll be at Long Melford Farmer's Market - in the lovely village hall there.

It runs from 10am til 1pm so do pop in if you're nearby and come and say hello. We'll be selling fresh beef from a Red Poll - Aberdeen Angus cross reared on our farm. It's been hung for 5 weeks and is very well marbled and of course delicious!

Morning

2009-11-14T19:31:00.003Z

This I think is a reason to get up in the morning.

Busy bees...

2009-10-05T09:22:00.020+01:00

Apologies for being lax about keeping you all informed with the farm in the recent weeks. I have been incredibly busy with one thing and another, including getting roped in to helping prepare my sister's wedding, a rather extravagant affair, taking a week to put up all the decorations.

With my wife being an event designer and coordinator and a florist to boot (rosehip flowers.co.uk) things have certainly been pretty busy for us... but it's been worth it!

Photography www.intomyarms.co.uk

In some farm news, we have been nursing our new Tamworth boar through meningitis, a rather harrowing experience to say the least. Fortunately when all seemed lost Geffory pulled through with a terrific fighting spirit. Once we got through the 36 hours of fitting we were feeding him with a syringe for a week and spoon feeding him solids after. It took 2 weeks before he showed any signs of being able to get to his feet - because of how he had been lying his legs needed physio to strech out the ligaments and tendons. To begin with he was able to get up onto his front legs with a little help, then for short periods he was able to stand properly with only a little support from me. Then one morning we found him twenty yards from his bed. Since then he has improved in leaps and bounds, tucking into copious amounts of food to put on some of the weight he lost while ill. He is now the most handlable pig we have and as long as there are no unseen side effects it looks like he has managed to make a pretty miraculous recovery.

After all that we now have the run up to Christmas, in which we are extremly busy. We're going to at least 14 farmer's markets in the next few weeks, while at the same time preparing for the cows coming back in from their summer pasture. We have cows who are about ready for calfing, chickens hatching eggs and ewes that need to be tupped, which means locating a Kerry Hill ram. So we're keeping busy! At some point I guess we'll need to think about writing some Christmas cards...

Basking in fame and glory

2009-09-08T10:12:00.009+01:00

Well, since being photographed for the paper and having produced piglets which win competitions, Tallulah, our Ginger Tamworth sow, has become a bit of a Prima Donna!

When the photographer came to take shots for this weekend's East Anglian Daily Times article, he seemed somewhat shocked that it was not going to be a picture of me standing behind a deli counter with my produce on display! He was taken aback slightly more when Tallulah came up to introduce herself and find out if he had any food. Seeing his face I asked if this was what he was expecting "Well it's certainly original" was the reply.

There are so many people out there who don't associate the meat they buy with the animals that produce it. I, first and foremost, am a farmer and my main responsibilities are to the welfare of the animals in my care. The selling of their meat is a by-product but one that needs to be done to help pay for their food and care. It is for this reason I wanted Tallulah in the shot as she has been integral to our success!

Jim

WHOOP WHOOP!!!

2009-08-31T19:31:00.006+01:00

What a fantastic weekend!

My sister has already said we are Jimmy's Farm UK Sausage Producer of 2009, beating off competition from around the country. It has definitely been a combination of our slow reared pigs and our butcher's quality sausage-making that has brought us to this point.

It was no plain sailing, with it being the first event we have ever cooked at there were but a few minor hiccups (not least learning how to work well under pressure with my wife, Annabel). Having arrived and met the extremely friendly staff at Jimmy's Farm we set up our stall and fired up the grill. Then boy-o-boy did I have my BBQ skills put to the test. I have never cooked so many sausages in a six hour period before, or so I thought on Saturday night. Saturday evening was spent cleaning, cooking yet more onions and what we thought would be preparing for Sunday but nothing could have got us ready for our award-winning rush!

They held the competition around lunch time which was slightly unfortunate as I was so flustered with cooking so many sausages I literally went up, shook everyones hand, accepted the cup and tottered off to man the grill, completely forgetting the Oscar style speech I had optimistically thought of doing if I won.

With the publicity from the event and having looked at our stall set up in relation to others, I definitely need to tap my sister for some better branding, so hopefully you will see a business card and website soon!

All in all except for being completely exhausted we had the best weekend in the time I have been working on the farm, and I hope it is the first of many awards and good weekends! We'd like to say a BIG thank you to Jimmy's Farm for all their support.

If there is anyone out there that wants to buy our sausages but would like to try them first I can suggest paying a visit to The Pheasant Pub in Gestingthorpe, Essex who have been championing our sausages from the beginning. They have a very relaxed atmosphere, friendly staff, good beer and great sausages on the menu - there are not many places better for a night out with friends.

With a big smile on my face,
Jim

WE'RE AWARD-WINNERS!

2009-08-26T07:55:00.007+01:00

We've won our first award!

This weekend we went to the Sausage and Beer Festival at Jimmy's Farm & won the UK PRODUCER OF THE YEAR for our sausages!!

Now, we only make one kind of sausage, so didn't expect to win against the many other UK producers with their many kinds of sausages. But we nailed it!

These were our esteemed judges:

Jamie Willows - Head Butcher at Jimmy’s Farm

Tony Hadley - of Spandau Ballet fame & subsequently of Red Rat Craft real ale brewery.

Thane Prince - chef & food writer, set up Aldeburgh Cookery School

Stephen Plume - The Sausage King and sausage fan & blogger at www.sausagefans.com

Jimmy's Farm had a great turnout, with plenty going on. We'll get some pics up soon once we stop celebrating!

Harvest

2009-08-11T16:23:00.009+01:00

So, the combine is busy and all the tractors are racing about the lanes. With a couple of near misses in the car I can assure you it pays to drive carefully at this time of year!!!

For me this time of year is all about preparation for the coming winter months. I have needed to wait till the harvest to spread my rather large muck heap and then commence with clearing the yards of yet more muck!!! O the life of a farmer it either mud or poo and sometimes muddy poo!

Straight after the harvest the bailing commences. We will have over 200 large round bails to move and only a trailer with the capacity to hold four at a time, so this is when I am grateful for the long hours of sunlight.

Fortunately I have already collected most of my wood for the winter. If last year is anything to go by I probably only have two thirds of what I need to last the winter - with three thousand logs cut and stored I think scavenging is going to be the name of the game for the last fifteen hundred.

Jim

Decline of Saddlebacks - rise of the Tamworths!

2009-08-06T11:52:00.009+01:00

Having said goodbye to both of our breeding Saddleback boars, Christopher and Broadband, we are now down to only one pig of breeding size, Taloola, the Tamworth sow. Fortunately I have just managed to procure Geoffrey, a Tamworth Boar!

At last we are going to be breeding straight Tamworths. This means we are going to be able to sell them at weener stage (ie straight off the tit!) to other breeders and people looking to fatten up their own pig for slaughter. Geoffrey unfortunately is only 3 months old so it is going to be a bit of time before he is of a large enough size to mate. The reason for me getting a young piglet is so I know how well he is handled while he is growing up. He'll become comfortable in his surroundings but most importantly he'll become comfortable with me - as there is not much worse than having an aggressive boar to work with.

While we will be breeding the Tamworths, I also aim to keep one of Taloola's last litter with Christopher. With his exceptionally long back and calm temperament it seems a shame to lose his blood line and his team did produce incredibly tasty pork!

jim

Chuckaduck

2009-08-03T19:36:00.018+01:00

So we have Bantams and Ducks. We have had them now for about two months. Unfortunately we lost Mr Scruff and a quacker to the dastardly fox so we are calling in the back up and getting ourselves a couple of Guinea Fowl and a couple of battery hens. The hens are expected to lay around an egg a day. The Guinea Fowl are great at setting up an alarm call if they see anything untoward and have been known to charge at a fox squawking their heads off till the fox runs away!!!

Of the Bantams we have for some reason got three cockerels and four hens. They are all fluffy footed and extremely fun to watch. I have never managed to keep them in a run as they seem to be great escape artists. It is however very nice to have them roaming round the lawns, currently they have discovered the pig pens and are having great time making dust baths.

Due to the extreme price of chicken houses I decided to make my own out of the remains of a pig arc. It works exceptionally well because the top is detachable so you don't have to climb around inside to clean it! and thankfully cost next to nothing. Now I'm off to shut them up for the night. Jim

Something less depressing!

2009-07-29T19:27:00.004+01:00

The last post depresses me every time I look at it so I thought I might post some more cheerful, colourful pictures from happier times.

Jim

A sad day

2009-07-28T08:40:00.007+01:00

Due to recent changes on the farm we have decided to breed Tamworth Pigss which we can register. This unfortunately means that Christopher, our boar for 5yrs, has had his day. Christopher the gentle giant (weighing 470 kg) was lame on his front right and had lost a tusk, and although he was still capable, he was very uncomfortable walking so the decision was made to retire him from service. He is sorely missed.

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Images from Africa

2009-07-26T09:42:00.008+01:00

Hi All. I thought I would upload some of the images I have created over the last year from when I was on Honeymoon in Africa. They are in a completely different style to the work I have been doing of the farm animals, for one thing they have an abundance of colour! Anyway this is just three of the many I have done.

I hope you enjoyed them!.

Jim

Farmer Jim tryesto blog!

2009-07-23T07:04:00.004+01:00

Sooooo. My sister has left the site and I am next to useless when it comes to updating anything! I can already feel the collective sigh of disappointment sweeping through the users looking for another excellent blog to read. Fortunately I have some impressive stories and amusing anecdotes which I am only too willing to boar you with.

I will try my darnedest to at the very least keep you updated with the general life on the farm, from helping the Sow to deliver 7 piglets to spending 3.5 hours trying to load Bernard, our 1.5 ton Aberdeen Angus bull, into a trailer.

As a picture is supposed to say a thousand words i will try and keep posting new ones relevant to the story at hand or just fun ones of the farm!!!

Anyway, enough rambling, I speak soon!

Jim

i'm off...

2009-02-22T01:57:00.007Z

I'm going to leave my dear brothers to create posts for this blog from the farm and I'm off... to make a new blog about all the things that interest me but AREN'T farm-related (you might have seen a few popping up on this site). I'll let you know where it is when I get round to making it.

Meanwhile I'll be at http://twitter.com/julietdh

I'll be back here when I have stories of my visits back home & the enormous amounts of shit-shovelling they save just for me :-)

Nostalgic moment: Love a bit of Bovril

2009-02-15T12:48:00.009Z

Feeling nostalgic (and cold!) I bought a pot of Bovril this week. In the past I'd have it on buttery toast but for the first time I made it into the hot drink it's known for... and it's delicious!

Cheap, quick, warming, low fat... bring on the Bovril!

Here are some facts from the website:

Bovril drink was invented in 1886 by Scotsman John Lawson Johnston and was originally formulated to feed Napoleon’s troops on the Russian front. By 1888 over 3000 bars and public houses were serving Bovril in Britain and ‘beef tea’ became a popular drink amongst football fans during the early 20^th century. By 1994 enough Bovril ‘beef tea’ was being sold to make over 90million mugs. To this day, Bovril drink remains popular with the family, with over 3million jars being sold – or 900 tons of the beef tea per year!

And the name... Bovril comes from an unusual word Johnston found in a book. 'Vril' was 'an electric fluid' and he combined it with the first two letters of the Latin word for beef 'Bos'.

Juliet D-H

Lena Corwin is my Valentine

2009-02-14T08:42:00.019Z

My wonderful fiancé got Valentine's Day absolutely right when at 00.01am last night he handed me Lena Corwin's beautiful Printing By Hand. I was very sleepy but I couldn't resist a little peek into a book I've wanted for ages but had no idea he knew about! A good read this morning over a bowl of my new favourite breakfast cereal has confirmed that it is going to be my new bible. I'm desperate to start playing with her simple print techniques and the gorgeous designs provided in a cute little envelope at the back. I'll have to put that Tim Walker tome down for a while...

For more inspiration check out her blog here

A very happy Juliet D-H

flooded!

2009-02-10T22:49:00.008Z

Essex was flooded today and here's the evidence! My bro just sent me this pic - that's at least a foot and a half of water and he's balancing on the bottom rung of the fences with a boot full of very cold water. Hopefully when he dries out a bit we'll get the full story of exactly how badly the river has burst its banks - that field is usually inhabited by a flock of sheep and a grumpy old horse...
Juliet D-H

Secret Recipe #2: Sweet Kidneys with Rice for 4

2009-02-09T20:21:00.001Z

This is a great midweek supper as it's quick, easy & cheap. It works equally well if you substitute lambs liver or heart instead of the kidneys. Just pick the nutrient you'd like a boost of:

Lamb Liver:
Rich in vitamin D & provides essential fatty acids helping to maintain the immune system.

Lamb Heart:
Rich in vitamins A, C, D, E and K. Provides essential fatty acids helping to maintain the cardiovascular and immune systems. Rich in minerals such as iron, manganese, potassium and selenium.

Lamb Kidney:
Rich in B vitamins which support energy production. Vitamin B2 is also required for red blood cell formation and respiration, antibody production. Aids in regulating thyroid activity.

Sweet Lambs Kidneys/Liver/Heart with Rice
1 small red onion, finely chopped
500grams lamb kidneys, liver or heart, sliced
2 small sweet apples, cored & finely chopped
2 handfuls sultanas (if you like it sweet)
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp mixed herbs
1.5 tsp green peppercorns
1 litre lamb stock
1tbsp sunflower oil
4 good handfuls basmati rice

Fry off the onions in oil, over a med-high heat, until transparent then add the meat & brown. Next add the rice and stir. Throw in the apples & sultanas and stir again. Add the stock, tomato puree, herbs & peppercorns and stir well, then lower the heat and stir occasionally until the liquid is reduced and the rice is cooked. Eat while there's still a little liquid left (about 1tsp) in the bottom of the pan as this will make it deliciously moist.

Thanks again to Mother's secret recipe brain :-)

Juliet D-H

snow days

2009-02-08T18:33:00.000Z

So while I have not written much since the new year I have been very busy on the farm. While everybody is having days off willy nilly because of the weather some have to work whatever mother nature throws at us!!!

Before anybody says that I picked the job I would like to say i have relatively enjoyed the extra challenges that the weather has given me, what I have not enjoyed is everybody gloating about how they got a day off work and how warm they are!

James D-H

Secret Recipe #1: Mutton or Lamb Curry from leftovers

2009-02-07T15:05:00.008Z

Mum finally gave us one of our favourites from the secret recipe book in her head. It's really too good to keep to ourselves so of course we're sharing it! This really can't be beaten as an easy way of using up Sunday roast lamb or mutton leftovers and it even makes use of the trimmings.

In a large heavy-bottom saucepan, fry the following together in a little oil for 5 minutes:
2 medium onions peeled & segmented
2 garlic cloves
5 cardamon pods
Handful of coriander seeds
1.5 tsp hot madras curry paste
1.5 tsp dried chilli
1 tsp sugar

Then add whatever cooked lamb or mutton leftovers you have, together with any leftover vegetables, onion sauce and gravy.

Next add:
a handful of diced apples
a handful of sultanas
a tin of grated creamed coconut

Now simmer for about 45mins to 1 hour, to let all the flavours integrate. 10 minutes before you want to serve it, add a handful of flaked almonds & season with salt to taste.

Serve with plain boiled rice (Mum's trick is too cook it in the microwave - fluffy everytime), poppadums, plain yogurt, finely chopped cucumber & mango chutney.

Any leftovers from this meal can easily be frozen, once cooled.

Juliet D-H

uhoh

2009-01-22T22:41:00.002Z

My once lovely plant has died. After nurturing it for nearly 3 years, through thick and thin, I left it outside through the big New Year freeze. And I never even knew its name :-(

Juliet D-H

goodbye tony hart

2009-01-18T20:00:00.012Z

He was a good man who inspired us all to be artists with the help of a bizarrely cute clay stick man. Love and condolences to his family x

the day the Southbank turned pink

2009-01-18T10:34:00.014Z

Not every day is spent on the farm. I took a trip to the Southbank yesterday & had a day in the pink:

(my friend Rachel kindly buying me coffee)

Perhaps it's going to be this year's theme - last weekend I saw a giant pink inflatable rabbit in Selfridge's window:

For more of our London pics check out our flickr group, here.

Juliet D-H

The new edition of V for Vendetta

2009-01-16T21:19:00.006Z

This morning's post contained a fantastic surprise from a friend - a pile of graphic novels. It included this - the new edition of V for Vendetta. That's my weekend sorted!

Juliet D-H

More piglets: a new brood of little rascals

2009-01-14T21:13:00.008Z

Just before Christmas, Tallulah had some more piglets.

Unusually for her, there were only three but they are already promising to be adventerous little blighters - exploring the yard and getting further a field every day! Truly free range!!

For more pics, check out our pigs set on flickr, here.

James D-H

return from st ives

2009-01-13T13:36:00.002Z

So 2009 has arrived and what a cold welcome it gave us. As my darling sister has explained I took the liberty of spending the New Year in St Ives with its lovely micro-climate and lack of reception. I was unaware of the sheer madness the freeze was bringing. It was only as i was driving back and there were signs on the M4 warning of ice I realised how this year was going to start for me.

Even after specially laying new

pipes at the end of last year I arrived home to find all of the taps and hoses frozen, leaving me with the unenviable task of bucketing water by tractor to the cows - a job that takes me two and a half hours. Oh what a wonderful waste of time!!

I have also been cutting down wood for the burners in our very cold house and before my wife reads this and says its my own fault for not putting the heating on it unfortunately the heat seems to escape the house quicker than you can heat it.

So there you are my rant for the beginning of the year and don't I feel better for it although it has not warmed me up!

James D-H

pigs, glorious pigs

2009-01-08T06:41:00.019Z

I thought I'd share some photos of our fabulous pigs, who I got to know a little bit during my week on the farm.

This friendly bunch are all the daughters of either Tallulah, our Ginger Tamworth sow (introduced here), or Broadband, our Essex Saddleback sow. Everyone's got the same sire - Christopher our great big gorgeous Essex Saddleback. As a result of the cross-breeding, these young pigs are a mixture of colours... black with a white band (like a Saddleback) or white markings, completely black, beautifully ginger (like a Tamworth), or the unusual (and quite fantastic) white with black spots!

Which one's your favourite?

For more pics, check out our pigs set on flickr, here.

Juliet D-H

it could have been worse

2009-01-05T18:43:00.003Z

I've just seen this picture & realise my icy walk into work this morning really could have been worse!

Found it here using StumbleUpon

Juliet D-H

back for 2009 from freezing east anglia

2009-01-04T20:52:00.013Z

Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a great holiday - sorry we've been a little quiet but Jim's been on holiday & the rest of us have been playing temporary farmhands.

My respect for my brother has quadrupled - in the last week I've discovered muscles that have been dormant since I began my deskjob over 7 years ago. Apart from the twice-daily routine of feeding and watering cattle, pigs and sheep I've cleared out his toolshed, chopped and collected firewood, dug the front garden (well a little bit of it), pruned the fig tree, cleaned the wood panelling, moved sheep between fields, held a new year's eve murder mystery party and fed 16 hungry walkers on new year's day. Proud of myself? Just a bit.

Feeling exhausted but very pleased with my new ruddiness, I took the dogs and my camera out for a quick walk yesterday morning, before the morning feed. It was a beautiful frosty morning and the cows were already up and mooing for their breakfast.

However I was soon to discover that Nature had a little going away present for me - the frosty morning also heralded frozen watertanks, hoses and taps...

So ensued the postponing of any other plans for what was a glorious winter Saturday. After breaking the ice, we spent the best part of the day boiling water in the kitchen kettles to defrost the hoses then filling big plastic bins with water to cart around the farm and ensure everyone had enough water. Further respect to my little bro, who deals with what the great outdoors throws at him every day.

Juliet D-H

our own christmas tonic, bottled & ready to go under the tree

2008-12-24T09:47:00.011Z

I've just spent the morning bottling our Christmas tonic ready to give as presents. It's been fermenting since August so it's a bit special.

Here's how we made it:
1 litre of whisky or vodka
1 lb (500g) sugar
1 lb (500g) winter berries
Leave in a cool, dark place for at least 3 months, giving it a good shake every week or so. Then strain & bottle. Serve either in suitably smart liqueur glasses to sip in a genteel manner or in a hip flask to nip from while enjoying the great outdoors.

This year we used a mixture of blackberries, raspberries & redcurrants, however you could use any berries. We made a whisky and a vodka, however you could also use brandy instead, or gin is great with sloe berries. If you do make a sloe gin, the sloe skins need to be broken - instead of pricking each individual berry you can freeze them, spread out on a tray, for 24 hours then defrost them so the skin breaks.

We did have a cheeky taster at the weekend & it definitely warms you up! We'll be keeping a few bottles for sure & I'm already planning to make some for our wedding next year. Any new recipe ideas would be welcome...

Juliet D-H

naming the rhea - it's a tie!

2008-12-21T14:35:00.009Z

The votes are in - our poll to choose the name of our crazy white Rhea has closed and it's a tie!

Castro and Santana got an equal number of votes, with Che coming in a close third. So Mum gets the casting vote and, for anyone who knows her, slightly unsurprisingly she's gone for... SANTANA!

The likeness is almost uncanny...

Thanks for your votes x

Juliet D-H

buy a $10 raffle ticket from menu for hope

2008-12-21T14:24:00.006Z

Menu for Hope is an annual fundraising campaign hosted by a revolving group of food bloggers around the world. Five years ago, the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia inspired them to find a way to help, and the very first Menu for Hope was born. The campaign has since become a yearly affair, raising funds to support worthy causes worldwide. In 2007, Menu for Hope raised nearly $100K to help the UN World Food Programme feed the hungry.

Each December, food bloggers from all over the world join the campaign by offering a delectable array of food-related prizes for the Menu for Hope raffle. Anyone can buy raffle tickets to bid on these prizes. For every $10 donated, you earn one virtual raffle ticket to bid on a prize of your choice. At the end of the two-week campaign, the raffle tickets are drawn and the results announced on Chez Pim.

The Menu for Hope V fundraiser runs from December 15-24.

Click here for the European prize list on the European host blog, Miss Adventures In Italy , including details about how to get involved & how to donate.

Click here for the blog of the American-based originator, Chez Pim.

Having only just come across the campaign this year, we haven't been able to offer a prize because we can currently only deliver locally in East & South East England. However we hope to get involved next year & will be buying a good few raffle tickets to be in with a chance of snaffling one of the fab prizes on offer!

Juliet D-H

eclectic eccentricity called me a jezebelle

2008-12-21T13:40:00.010Z

I've purchased more than a few pressies this year from one of my favourite online jewellers, Eclectic Eccentricity. And when I bought some pieces in December as Christmas presents, Lucy & her team sent me a beautiful little surprise - the Jezebelle Rose Ring. Thank you very much... it'll look marvellous on a hand wrapped around a glass of Christmas champagne!

Juliet D-H

experiment #573: rolled pork joints, roasted in wild garlic leaves

2008-12-19T07:57:00.020Z

I've just found some pics on my old camera from a weekend at M&D's few weeks ago. Apart from reminding me how much better my new camera is, they also reminded me of my most recent experiment.

I was doing the Sunday roast to give Mum a break & nipped out to the herb bed to get some mint for the potatoes when I spotted some wild garlic. I wrenched some leaves from it and proceeded to stuff them, with some difficulty, through the string holding together the two small(ish) rolled pork joints we were having. Then rubbed in plenty of salt & oil and popped them in the lovely aga...

They looked a little scary after roasting...

The wild garlic leaves were delicious - like mildly garlicky seaweed - but didn't seem to flavour the pork enough to notice, obviously because I'd put them on the outside & because the pork is quite strongly flavoured (that's the marvellousness of the rare breed pig, of course). So, next time probably best to use garlic cloves & save the wild garlic for salads or stuffing chicken breasts. Good experiment though.

Here's more about eating wild garlic

Juliet D-H

eat local, buy local, grow local

2008-12-16T22:09:00.017Z

I've just found this great poster by Christopher Silas Neal. It's a good motto for what we're trying to do on the farm & I like the simple illustration.

It's from a set of five posters, all free to download, commissioned by the American magazine Readymade. The magazine asked five designers to use The Great Depression's populist poster art as inspiration for depicting our current economic and cultural times.

Click here to link to the posters online to download PDFs for free .

Juliet D-H

if you go down to the woods today

2008-12-15T15:33:00.031Z

While Jim & Co were busy working on the farm I went off to my day-job's Christmas do...

We didn't know where we going but had been told to meet at Waterloo station at 7am, dressed for what was touted as a day in the freezing cold. Now the boss lives in Somerset, so we had our inklings. Hopping off the train 2 hours later at Axminster we weren't surprised by our location but we still hadn't worked it out. And noone was taking my whale-watching suggestion very seriously. A minibus scooted us through Axminster, where we rode past Hugh F-W's River Cottage shop. Aha! That must be it... we're off to make cider with Hugh's lads. Our official organiser Susie kept her poker face on but we were smug in our detective work.

As we drove further out of Axminster we started to um and er... could we be wrong? Susie directed the sideburned Somerset driver past farm after farm. We couldn't see a River or a Cottage. Then we pulled in sharply to Higher Holditch Farm. Now we were confused.

We piled out of the minibuses looking puzzled to be hailed by the boss & his dog who still refused to let slip what the hell we were actually doing here. Wellies on, overnight bags stowed, we duly followed him through a field and into the woods...

... where to our surprise found a teepee and tents set up with green woodworking equipment!

We spent the day with Guy Mallinson (an ex-furniture designer who trained with the RCA) and his expert team, worked with freshly cut sycamore (which cut like butter) using traditional tools. We carved individual pieces of a totem pole, made spatulas and an Aboriginal bull-roarer and were treated to a pole-lathe display in which Mace (tree-surgeon by Winter, woodworker by Spring) made a rounders bat inside 20 minutes.

We ate a seriously good homemade lunch of fish pie & rhubarb crumble in the teepee then drank homemade cider with homemade cake around the fire at the end of the day. Then, feeling the surge of accomplishment, we lugged our creations back up the now lantern-lit path to the boss' house for a boozy supper, an embarrassing office quiz & secret Santas.

Best Christmas work-do ever!

Mallinson's 2009 woodwork course dates are available here.
As there were 20 of us, we had a private booking, which can be organised here.

Juliet D-H

Blog reader

2008-11-27T13:37:00.005Z

I've just started using the blog reader www.bloglovin.com. It means you can follow lots of blogs in one place - it works with any site with an RSS feed (ie: blogs). Love it.

Click here to follow this blog with bloglovin´

Trials & tribulations of a herd and its boss

2008-11-04T22:46:00.003Z

Being seen as the boss of all the animals is an extremely important part of looking after a herd of cattle. If the herd gets an inkling that I'm not in charge they would run riot. The two animals I am most likely to come to loggerheads with are the bull Bernard & matriarch Kitty.

Although Bernard, as the lone bull, is used to getting his own way and knows just how big he is (having broken our crush once by bending 1 inch thick metal bars), Kitty has had to defend her title repeatedly. She has to be the most ferocious when it comes to a challenge as her technical fighting ability is of extreme importance in order to be queen of the fields. A cow further down the pecking order is more likely to pick a fight when Kitty is under the weather but she cannot lose face in front of any of the other members of the herd without jeopardising her position.

Losing face in other arenas is also a serious taboo. Bernard has pride of place at the feed troughs, with Kitty a close second. When it comes to moving the cattle between distant fields, none of them particularly like going in the trailer but both have to be unflappable. It is generally easier for us to move Bernard first then leave Kitty till last, as if she doesn't want to move not a lot is going to make her!

As you work down the pecking order there are more subtle changes. Younger cows move up the ranks by challenging their elders. Because we have both horned White Parks and non-horned Red Polls the complexeties get even more confusing. Of the Red Polls it is only really Ruby who presents a challange to any of the White Parks. As the matriarch of the Reds she has to be able to stand up to most of the horned cattle, even Kitty, putting her in the top three for the overall leadership.

When a new Heffer is born they are intigrated into the herd at the same level as their mother. When they are young, the calves compete between themselves to establish a place in the herd that is above their mother's position. Bull calves also fight for practice in later life. All of which means I must avoid being between them at the wrong time to ensure I don't lose control (or the seat of my trousers!).

Jim D-H

annabel's new site

2008-10-15T12:56:00.017+01:00

The newest member of the (human) family, Jim's wife Annabel, has just launched her new website promoting her fantastic floristry business, Rosehip Flowers. When she's not helping Jim on the farm, she is busy preparing marvels of floral decoration for weddings, parties & all sorts of events.

To book her for an event or just to check out her flower gallery, visit her website

Presenting Tallulah the Ginger Pig

2008-09-30T17:42:00.033+01:00

Having recently turned 28 I've been reminiscing about past birthdays and more particularly past presents. One stands out from the rest - Tallulah the Ginger Pig.

Tallulah is a Tamworth sow, reckoned to be among the truest of indigenous British breeds. She was given to me by my best friend Jonny as a weaner (a young pig that has been weaned from the sow's milk). She was born on the 22 September 2005 of the Abbess Lucky Lass blood line. She is a lovable pig with a very eager personality and is very tame. She loves a good scratch along her bristly spine and is so friendly and careful with me I have no qualms about sitting beside her in her pen to enjoy the last of the summer sun.

She is also an excellent mother - she's raised four litters of piglets, averaging around eight per litter. She always seems to begin birthing in the evening so I am normally up all night prepared to be on hand if help's needed. Some sows become aggressively protective while birthing however Tallulah is very calm and quite happy for me to handle her piglets as they come into the world and to help them to find her milk for the first time.

It is a pleasure and an honour to work with Tallulah, who I've come to know as a funny and intelligent character.
Thanks Jonny :-)

For more about Tamworth pigs, check out The Tamworth Breeder's Club website.

Jim D-H

Introducing Alys...

2008-09-24T17:23:00.015+01:00

This is Alys. She is a White Park/Short Horn cross (both breeds are on the RBST watchlist). We tend to keep only pure bred cattle to breed from, rather than crossed breeds, however we have kept her as a breeding cow because her birthday is the same as Mum's (mildly eccentric I know).

She is a friendly cow, loving nothing more than a good feed and a scratch just above her tail. Part of the reason a lot of our cows are so friendly is the time I spent with them when they were growing up. They now all come to call and are so friendly that if you don't know them you might be quite intimidated when they barge past one another to get some attention from you!

The photo was taken at around 9.30 on a Spring morning and what you can not see is her first calf off to the left of the shot. It was born sometime during the night and as with the White Parks cattle in general it seemed to be an easy private birth (they don't tend to like people around during birth so will find a more secluded part of the field and usually birth at night).

To find out more about White Park cattle, visit the White Park Cattle Society's site.

Jim D-H

With a little help from our friends

2008-09-23T11:39:00.014+01:00

Over the weekend an old pal came to stay. Unbeknown to him, our arable land was having the final buzz with the combine so we would have to set about collecting our final quota of round bales and lugging 150 of them into and out of the trailer.

Now the friend in question is very proud of the little he does (being 28 and only just learnt how to fry an egg, no joke!!!!). He is also a rather keen architect of high standing. Upon arrival I was relieved to hear that he had come up to take his mind off his rather stressful work. 'What better way of forgetting your city troubles than by getting down and dirty doing a good honest day's labour on the farm' I suggested. This was received with a frown and some light questions about what I had lined up for him. After a few expletives he explained that he was here to help and by jove he would!

Not only did we get all the jobs done, we had time for a lovely pub lunch in Mum & Dad's award-winning local The Pheasant on Saturday, followed by a delightful slow-roasted mutton shoulder (cooked by Annabel (wifey)) on Sunday, when the parents joined us. The weekend was deemed terrific by all. I have just received word that Az can not only still smell pig poo but is still aching from all the work.

Although it's my job and doing it every day of the week can make certain parts sometimes tiresome, it always amazes me how keen friends are to lend a hand and on the whole how much enjoyment they get from doing something a little different. It also helps them work up an appetite for what is inevitably a large and delicious home grown feast, which is the least we can offer in the way of thanks.

Jim D-H

Toe tips

2008-09-15T22:26:00.021+01:00

Ok, so these are old pics (when did you last see a sunny day like this?) but there aren't nearly enough sheep on this blog yet. So here we are, checking sheep's feet last summer.

They need to be checked regularly, to be trimmed and to ensure they don't have any infections like foot rot (nice). So we round them all up (which is another story - the next time we try to herd 15 sheep from a large field into a small pen using a sunny afternoon, five family members, a teenage lurcher, a sausage dog, one long rope and a lot of swearing we'll invite a paying audience), check them all, treat any that need it and let them all back out into the field, grumpier but lighter of foot! The marks you see on their faces is safe spray so we know which ones we've checked.

ps: sheep's feet or sheep feet? hmm... answers on a postcard please.

Juliet D-H

Some crackingly good crackling

2008-09-14T21:30:00.012+01:00

Hmmm... home-grown pork roast. Wins every time.

Juliet D-H

"I carried a marrow"

2008-09-14T18:03:00.016+01:00

Well actually it wasn't a marrow, it was an overgrown courgette which resembled a small manatee and required eating. Thus I found myself creating stuffed courgette skyscrapers for supper last night. Here's the recipe:

> 1 gigantic courgette (or a marrow will do), sliced to make one slice each, cored & boiled til just tender (turning translucent)
> 1 lb delicious beef mince (we used some from beef raised on the farm, obviously), fried with 1 onion & 2 garlic cloves, half a pint of beef stock, tomato puree, anchovy sauce and whatever interesting herbs and spices you'd usually add to a bolognese.
> a saucepan full of cheese sauce - I make a classic white sauce (melt butter, add flour, mix to a paste, cook til the edges sizzle then slowly stir in dashes milk til you get a gooey sauce) then add plenty of grated strong cheddar.

Place the courgette-marrow pieces on their ends in a baking dish, fill each with mince sauce (just pour any overflow into the dish) then pour the cheese sauce over the top. Add a liberal sprinkling of parmesan and bake in a hot oven (top of the aga so i guess about 250+) for 20mins until the top browns.

We usually have this with boiled potatoes or crusty bread.
Leftovers are fab cold from the fridge, on hot toast or ciabatta.

Juliet D-H

Out on your Rhea

2008-09-14T14:32:00.006+01:00

Mum's gone slightly mad and got herself 5 young Rheas - South American birds, a bit like an ostrich, that apparently love our dry(!) East Anglian climate. They grow to over 5 feet tall and will reputedly fend off the foxes, which have eaten 5 guinea fowl and Othello, the Black Orpington cockerel, in the last 3 weeks. Rheas like to eat young nettles and thistles so we're also hoping that next year we won't have so much strimming and scything to do!

The very friendly Rhea in the photo above has been called Chris (geddit???) but we need some help naming the other four - any suggestions?

The white Rhea is the biggest and the fierce protector of the group:

The other three are all a bit timid so they haven't shown us their individual personalities yet:

Find out more about Rheas on wikipedia by clicking here.

Juliet D-H

Harvest Time!

2008-09-11T16:33:00.006+01:00

Well here we are again, harvest time… While many may think that this only really affects arable farmers, it is actually one of the busiest times of year on a livestock farm as well, as the harvest has to be stored for the winter feeds and bedding. James is currently clearing the barn in preparation for 160 round bales of straw, which must be collected from the fields.

Now if you have never encountered these ‘round’ bales before then you won’t quite realise what a formidable task this actually is. Each one is over six foot in diameter and about five foot in depth and must be collected from fields up to a half-mile away. As a result both tractors are working full time. The trusty John Deere trawling back and forth with the trailer, while the not so trusty front-loading ‘Jinma’ stacks the bales ready to be picked up. Now this may sound like relatively easy work, however when one considers that the geriatric John Deere has a top speed of about walking pace, and only four bales can be taken at a time, it is actually an extremely time-consuming process.

Thankfully there have been no problems with the ‘Jinma’ yet, although judging by previous form it is only a matter of time. The John Deere on the other hand is a stalwart, although missing a door and a couple of window panes, as well as a having a speedometer that would actually make a good metronome, it is probably one of the sturdiest and most reliable tractors you could hope for.

Once the bales have been finished it will be time to take delivery of the animal feed. This job, while not as time-consuming as the bales, is much worse! Four tonnes of feed must be mixed, bagged and stacked in the barn. The mixing process is relatively easy and is all done in the lorry – a monster of a machine that resembles a cement mixer – however the bags are then filled through a chute and must be carried/dragged into the barn. Each bag, of which there are about 60, probably weighs about 12 stone…and to think there are actually people who pay to go and lift weights at the gym…

Other than these two laborious tasks, life continues as usual on the farm. The village youths have been back to swindle whatever isn’t nailed to the floor. Indeed they were almost rumbled the other day when James caught them red-handed. Sadly, a farmer Jim may be; a sprinter he is not! As a result we continue to seek a solution to this problem. The police have been involved and we have been through various options with them. The more extreme of these options, which had both mine and James’ vote and involved leaving a number of planks with nails hammered through them on the path frequented by these unwanted visitors, was not met with much enthusiasm by the officer who visited the farm; “I didn’t hear that, sir.” I believe was his response!

The piglets are growing up fast now and becoming ever more devious in their attempts to escape from the pens. Indeed I believe James is now seriously considering erecting watchtowers and searchlights in order to keep the little buggers from making a bid for freedom – perhaps they could serve two purposes by keeping the piglets in and the pikeys out!

Charlie D-H

Hay bale image provided by http://www.freefoto.com/

Back to the Farm…

2008-09-10T10:42:00.014+01:00

It was not without a certain amount of trepidation that I approached the farm down the driveway after a few weeks away. What back-breaking task would my dearest brother be concocting for me I wondered? The clouds were rolling in ominously and I found myself cursing my luck that, after two weeks spent working in a stuffy office while staring out of the window at a blazing sun, the gods had seen fit to darken my first day back with weather more suited to the Outer Hebrides at this time of year. Anyway, such is life!

It was somewhat fitting then, that I was greeted as I got out of the car by a masked figure clad in a boiler-suit with a suspiciously green tinge to it. My sense of foreboding was increased even further when I realised that this storm-trooper from hell was wielding some sort of long motorised device that looked like it could shred me in a matter of minutes. Oh yes, you guessed it… It's strimming season!

Indeed, James has begun the week attacking the undergrowth like some sort of machete-wielding maniac, and what a difference it has made! I was shocked at how well kept the farm was looking. The area around the pig-pens has been levelled so that one can see right across the farm from the house. This of course is all in preparation for when the cattle are herded into their straw-lined barns for the winter. Before this however, the yards and barns must be mucked out and cleaned. Lucky for us the recent addition of a brand new tractor with a front-loading bucket to our arsenal of somewhat antiquated machinery has made this job infinitely easier… Or so we thought…

Yes the tractor… What a travesty! At the slightest sign of hard work the machine packs up quicker than a footballer in a chess game. The clutch is the latest problem and has left my unfortunate brother with the unenviable task of shovelling several tonnes of manure onto a trailer without mechanical aid!

If that wasn’t enough, we have also had round two of the ‘farm invasion’ by the uncouth youths from the village. Having earlier taken it upon themselves to pinch the lead lining from the roof of one of the barns, they have now stolen a cluster of jerry cans and emptied one of the tanks of diesel on the farm. Let us hope then that they attempt to run their own cars on this stuff, after all it has been rotting at the bottom of that particular tank for nigh on eighty years and I can imagine it having much the same effect on an engine as a pound of sugar in the petrol tank! Every cloud, eh?!

Despite all this doom and gloom, we have struggled through and the farm is in spectacular condition. The piglets are as feisty as ever and we have just about managed to contain them in the pens (this is a greater feat than you may expect; most days we half expect them to have stolen a car and be half way to the airport, such is their artistry in escape!). The cows are grazing happily and the sheep are all healthy and no doubt enjoying the lush grass that the recent rain has brought.

Charlie D-H

Thistle Domination

2008-07-28T21:27:00.003+01:00

We spent the lovely heat of sunday scything the heads off thistles to stop them pollinating & taking over the field. Half way up one of the fields, Jim & Annabel's lovely neighbours came out & plied us all with beers! Just what we needed, although we definitely moved a bit slower after that...

Juliet D-H