Rural Issues | Farmlink | Livestock | a Farmer's View

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A farmer’s view Riverford – farm to fork Brand new kitchen garden A day out at a farm sale River Cottage – Grow it, eat it A smallholder’s story – how it all began Campaign For Rural England (CPRE) Plus: Country News Competitions courtesy of Langford Fivehead Restaurant & Rooms, West of England Game Fair and Haxnicks farm to fork | rural issues | farmlink | livestock | a farmer’s view | green issues | veterinary

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Country News 4

Letter to the editor 7 More cats in the countryside? GET IN TOUCH thelandsman Property 8 Think Media (UK) Ltd Springdale Farm Bungalow The Granary & Sawmill Tickenham Court Property 9 Washing Pound Lane | Clevedon You don’t have to be a farmer to enjoy a day out at a farm sale! North Somerset | BS21 6SB Competition 10 www.thelandsman.co.uk Win a fleece Easy Tunnel from Haxnicks twitter.com/landsmanlife FarmLink 11 Editorial Be part of something special Rebecca Hacker [email protected] A farmer’s view 13 Hedge laying – a country skill Art Editor Christy Walters Green Issues 15 Batteries with everything Designer Laurie Edwards Livestock 16-17 From two pigs to two farms Production Rachael Ellway Veterinary practise 19 [email protected] Rules, regulations and hoops of legislation T. 01275 400778 Hellier Pest Control 20 Advertising Rodenticide control laws – do you comply? Sandra Hardie [email protected] Rural issues 21 T. 01460 55105 2017, a year of surprises? Contributors Benjamin Barber BVetMed (Hons) MRCVS Competition 22 CPRE Win West of England Game Fair 2017 tickets Farmlink Gillian Dixon CPRE 23 Hellier Pest Control “Devolution” – what may this mean for all of us? Katherine Crouch Keith Wheaton-Green Making a country living 24-25 Lye Cross Farm Moor View Alpacas RHS Garden Rosemoor River Cottage Competition 26 Riverford Win an overnight stay, 3 course dinner and full English breakfast at Langford Fivehead Songbird Survival Stags Farm to Fork 27 Stephen Davy-Osborne Kale: ubiquitous, underrated & tasty Stewart Horne Gardening 29-35 Victoriana Nursery Gardening in my head 29 Printed by From garden to plate – create your kitchen garden 30 Newsquest What, where and how - planning a kitchen garden 31 Printed on 70gsm Woodfree paper Kitchen garden – Asparagus 33 Grow it, eat it 34 Disclaimer Recipe – Red cabbage, parsnip, orange and dates 35 Every effort is made to ensure accuracy of dates, event information and advertisements. thelandsman accepts no responsibility for events that might be cancelled and Wildlife 36 can accept no responsibility for the accuracy of any Help make a difference now information or claims made by advertisers included in this magazine. The views expressed do not necessarily Country diary 37 reflect the views of thelandsman. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission strictly prohibited.

Given the current straitened times, many businesses are reconsidering their long-term strategy, including succession Farmers: Plan strategy planning, with some extremely positive outcomes. However, those who have invested heavily with the use of capital allowances, and who are now restructuring or retiring, could now, warns Old Mill crystallise large profits when selling plant and equipment, Mr Vickery warns. “It could be worth re-evaluating the business Farmers could enjoy a buoyant couple structure to reduce the resulting tax liability.” of years ahead of Brexit but the However, any changes in business structure must be industry may face another downturn reflected in personal Wills, adds Ashfords solicitor Jonathan after 2020, experts have warned. It is Hickman. “A poorly drafted Will can cause just as many therefore vital that they re-evaluate problems as not having one: If you change your business their business plans to make the structure you will need to review your Will,” he says. most of the good times and protect Having an open dialogue about succession planning could against future volatility. also enable a business to reduce its tax liability, he adds. Andrew Vickery, head of rural This includes identifying assets which qualified for Agricultural services at accountant Old Mill, and Business Property Relief, and whether the main house says farmers are currently benefiting from the weak Pound was eligible for the new Residence Nil Rate Band (RNRB). following the EU referendum. This is making exports more “If your whole estate is worth more than £2m the RNRB will competitive and has boosted the basic payment by 16.5% in be tapered down and above £2.2m it will not be available at 2016. “If currency stays weak we could have two or three very all, so it could be worth using lifetime gifts to maximise the good years.” tax reliefs available.” However, the uncertainty of Brexit and the 2020 CAP reform Being proactive and planning ahead could make the means farmers have to prepare for a future with ambiguous difference between a successful, viable business and one that government support, warns Paul Blundell, relationship director doesn’t survive, warns Mr Vickery. “Don’t be too complacent. in rural services at HSBC. “Don’t wait until 2020 to start Agricultural tax reliefs are very generous at the moment and planning,” he says. “You need to get your business in a shape that the Government would find it politically very easy to change you can farm the way you want to without financial support.” them: Make the most of the good times while you can.”

“We are already seeing benefit from removing the Rhododendron with new Invasive species growth in the area. There is also an area of ancient woodland which has been cleared, meaning that acorns, removal clears the beech mast, Scots pine seeds, and hazel nuts have the chance of successfully germinating. Streams way for wildlife in the area have also benefitted from getting more light after the removal Removal of invasive Rhododendron swamping Arrowsmith of the Rhododendron, and the clearing of the area has allowed Coppice in Poole has created space for the regeneration of Borough of Poole to erect bat boxes in the trees.” wildlife such as heather and purple moor grass, and allowed DWT’s Urban & East Dorset Living Landscapes Manager, better access for local people, which had impassable areas Nicki Brunt said, “Not only has wildlife benefitted, but people before the project started. Other wildlife sighted in the area have too, as the clearance means people can move more include dragonflies, grey wagtail, butterflies, and roe deer. freely through the site to see oaks and beech trees and hear Conservation work carried out by staff and volunteers from woodland and heathland birds. It’s amazing what a partnership Borough of Poole and Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) as part of the project like this can achieve, and we’re grateful to all the Great Heath Living Landscape project, started in September volunteers who have helped made this happen.” 2014 with a Community Payback group, and then followed Work is still ongoing, and the majority of the work should with volunteering from various additional groups including be finished in March this year. Clearance by volunteers in Richmond Fellowship, Verwood Centre and Quay school. more sensitive areas will continue for a few more years. Rhododendron is a purple flowering shrub which is an There will also be a requirement for spraying regrowth of invasive species, smothering and killing native plants and trees. the Rhododendron that has already been cleared to prevent Jez Martin, Biodiversity Project Officer, Borough of Poole said, re-growth. Photography: Arrowsmith Coppice after the work started © Jez Martin Coppice Arrowsmith Photography: 4 country news Trust to test new multi-agency agroforestry model on 48 acres The Dartington Hall Trust is pioneering a new model of from their own trees agroforestry that aims to combine five food and farming independently. enterprises to create an agroecological system that is both Marina O’Connell, collaborative and commercially viable. Huxhams Cross The planting plan developed by Dartington sees farm Farm, says: ‘We tenants Jon and Lynne Perkin, of Old Parsonage Farm, are very excited team up with Luscombe Drinks, Huxhams Cross Farm and to be a part of Salthouse & Peppermongers, who are in partnership with the this collaboration, Trust itself. and look forward Delivering 48 acres of agroforestry was one of the terms to watching the of the Perkins tenancy when they came to farm at Dartington transformation of the in 2015.In recognition of the expense involved in setting up field as the trees and an agroforestry system the Trust worked with the Perkins to crops mature, and the identify suitable partners. biodiversity increases. Luscombe Drinks and Huxhams Cross Farm were Not to mention picking ideal collaborators as they are ecologically minded local delicious apples.’ companies wishing to meet a growing demand for their tree Planting more trees crops. Salthouse & Peppermonger, who specialise in gourmet on farms has been a topic of much discussion nationally seasonings, were willing to partner with The Dartington recently, particularly as one of the potential solutions to Hall Trust on the innovative Sichuan pepper planting to flooding. Trevor Mansfield, Senior Adviser to Strategy demonstrate that agroforestry can also increase the diversity Implementation Team, Natural England, said: ‘I am delighted of local food crops. to learn that the agroforestry plans are going ahead at The Perkins have licensed each partner enterprise to plant Dartington. Agroforestry is a farming system that has lots 1600 elderflower trees, 600 apples trees and 150 sichuan to offer for the future, combining food production with sound pepper trees respectively on their farm from January 2017. environmental management, so it is really encouraging to Each licensee will manage, process and market the crops see farmers such as those at Dartington leading the way.’

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letter to the editor

More cats in the countryside? by Rick Smith The last issue of thelandsman featured a news item by Cats Protection claiming that rehoming feral cats into the countryside was an “environmentally-friendly means of pest control.” As a smallholder and woodsman, I’d like to put across the opposite point of view, and speak out for our native wildlife.

The promise is that “rodents” will be controlled by feral cats. That is true, but of course dormice, wood, yellow necked and harvest mice, shrews, field, bank and water voles are all rodents which cats can and do kill. The question is, do we want them killed? I certainly don’t. Cats also kill other things, as we all know. Google the Mammal Society survey of 1997, and you will see the shocking results of cat predation. 986 cats surveyed between April 1st and August 31st brought back 14,370 prey items, including 44 species of bird, 20 species of mammal, 3 types of reptile, and 3 types/species of amphibians. Scale this number up by the nine million cats in Britain, and it equates to 275 million every year. Next year will be 20 years since the survey, and over that timescale it will equal 5.5 billion of our

wildlife killed by cats. How is this “environmentally-friendly?” (www.colinvarndell.co.uk) Varndell Colin Photography: It’s a catastrophe for our wildlife, which is already under threat thanks to myriad factors such as habitat loss. foxes and more, and they must kill to live. Every time a cat kills, it is also stealing from a legitimate predator. Cats are fed, We have ancient woodland here, and I spend much time housed, mollycoddled and provided with veterinary care, yet, engaged in coppicing and other conservation work. as Cats Protection rightly say, none of this affects their desire Unfortunately, I have also identified at least 8 cats (and I have to catch prey. No, more’s the pity. A cat, like any animal, has no no doubt there are more) hunting through our woods (where conscience, no capacity for reflection. Some cat owners do, but we have - or had - dormice) day and night, on a more or less don’t trouble themselves with such minor matters. Thus, when permanent basis. They do not belong to us, and have nothing to the cat kills a song thrush, a robin, a goldfinch, the refrain is: do with nature or the ecosystem; yet we are, apparently obliged “That’s nature”. In fact, not only is it not nature, it is the polar to tolerate this relentless predation of our wildlife. opposite of nature. It is the polar opposite of survival of the fittest. There is no predator-prey balance, as there must be in I have no problem with genuine, legitimate, wild predators. the wild. Every individual of every species of wild creature in We have tawny owls, sparrowhawks, peregrines, hobbies, this country could be wiped out by cats, and it would make no dent in the cat population whatsoever. So I’m afraid the man or woman who owns the cat is responsible for every single thing the cat kills.

I’m a dog owner. My dog does not hunt as cats do. If she did, she would be subject to the law and could be shot. Why is it that cat owners are exempt from this?

We have rats on the small holding occasionally, of course. Like any competent countryman or woman, I can control them without the need for a cat. The same is true for mice. It is a fiction that we need more cats in the countryside. I believe there are far too many already. 7 property Springdale Farm Bungalow Guide Price £500,000

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8 property You don’t have to be a farmer to enjoy a day out at a farm sale! by Stags Unlike many estate agents who focus solely on the sale of property, Stags is one of the few South West firms that has a multi-disciplinary approach, offering the full gamut of property- related departments from sales and lettings to planning advice and livestock sales. As part of this holistic approach, Stags boasts its own dedicated On Site Sales Department which is responsible for holding between 30-50 sales a year at locations across the South West. Often Stags is invited to organise a farm sale after the farm has been sold (known as a dispersal sale), with the catalogue sometimes added to by outside entries from third parties (known as a collective sale). According to Chris Clapham, the charismatic head of the buyer to buy the coffin back, and the multi-purpose item later On Site Sales department, one never knows what will turn up went on to be the vendor’s final resting place! at a sale. ‘Often whole generations have collected belongings at It is difficult to generalise as to what may appear at a farm a single site over hundreds of years, and these can be hugely sale. One recent collective sale, hosted at Uplowman Court varied,’ he says. ‘We state on our website that we can - and Farm, attracted an array of items including some much sought- will - sell anything, and over the years this mantra has been after granite mushrooms, which made £280 on the day, a tested!’ Just a few of the more notable items to have been sold granite blacksmith’s trough which sold for £480, wrought iron include a Whale Bone unearthed at a builder’s dispersal sale, gates (£160), a statue of Mercury the Greek messenger God a lead lined coffin designed for burial at sea and a collection of (£230) and a vintage Hunter’s hacking jacket (£175). On the rare Whiskeys (with the top priced bottle fetching a whopping same day, more traditional farming-related machinery also £320). According to Stafford Sampson, Stags’ longest serving went under the hammer including a JCB 1135 4wd Fastrac, auctioneer (with just 40 years’ service) the coffin was purchased which raised £8,500 for the vendors. by a carpenter for use as a trunk to store his tools in. Two years The saying that one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure after the sale, however, the original vendor approached the could not be more true for farm sales. It is certainly not unusual for items which the vendors believed to be obsolete or valueless to raise a small fortune. Indeed, in April 2016 the Stags On Site team held the dispersal sale of a range of modern and vintage machinery and farming effects at Four Elms Farm, Ottery St Mary. Within the 800 lots were many old, vintage and bygone implements some of which were deemed scrap by the vendors. Much to everyone’s delight however, this proved not to be the case: numerous vintage milk jars raised £75 each, a well- worn galvanized watering can earned £28 while a pair of York stone troughs sold for £170 each. Two vintage cast wheels (see picture) achieved £140 each while a worn children’s rocking horse went for £380. A linen box, which had been destined for the bonfire just days before the sale, generated £120. An old horse-drawn plough, which was bought as a garden feature, was secured for £138, while a seized finger bar mower and a SKH Salopian 2 furrow plough were both bought for their ornate charm.

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10 farmlink Be part of something special by FarmLink Wouldn’t it be great if more of our politicians understood farming enough to make reasoned and reasonable decisions when it comes to deciding agricultural policy? Wouldn’t it be great as well if every child in Great Britain had a chance to be visited in school by a farmer who could explain how important food, farming and the environment is followed up by a visit to a real, working farm? Why pick on these two categories? Well, our politicians need to understand what impact food and farming has on our economic and natural environment so when better to learn when they are young. This is exactly what the farm based charity FarmLink has set as its key aspiration. To get every child in England a contact in school with a visiting farmer and then a follow up visit to a local farm and have a lesson of their teachers choice delivered concerning food, farming and the environment. This was the founding aspiration of farmer John Alvis when he first had the idea about linking schools to farms. That was in 2000 with 400 pupils benefitting. The organisation has grown since then and at the end of July 2017 expects to have had contact with 35,000 primary school children. It sounds a lot but 35,000 is only the tip of the iceberg. Schools from Bristol, Bath, North Somerset, Bridgwater and Stafford all enjoy connecting with the farmers in their area to learn about food production, farming, healthy eating, birds of prey, life cycles and a host of other things. One particular favourite is to have an incubator in the classroom with fertilised eggs and watch them hatch on mum and dad to pay for the weekly shop, but when they are in a day 21. It has been known for a webcam to be positioned so a position to have to pay then some of what they have been taught whole school could watch the hatching. The first hatching was in early years might make a difference. followed by a spontaneous cheer reverberating around the There is a saying, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’. FarmLink is school like a verbal Mexican wave. It stirred emotions in the the same. The children can’t be told what to do but they can children and was an event they will never forget. be given the information that can make a difference to their So, who are the farmers involved with FarmLink. Alvis Bros health and the environment in the future. Politicians might not as the founding business are still involved as are Yeo Valley, understand farming now but who knows what they may have Bridgwater College, Brackenburn and Packington Pork. Each learned in twenty years-time. And whilst John Alvis’s aspiration business commits to having contact both in school and on farm of every child in England visiting a farm at least once in their with a certain number of pupils per year. It is then the co- school life is starting to happen it will be decades before it ordinators job to fill all the available days with school visits. becomes a complete reality. As with everything in life there is a cost attached and The Charity is always on the lookout for suitable farm the delivering farms, as well as hosting, make a financial businesses and organisations to become funding and or contribution to the charity to help it continue functioning. Ask delivery partners. Cornwall, Devon and Shropshire are firmly any of the partner farms why they do contribute and the answer in the FarmLink sights but if any reader has a bright idea is mainly the same; we want to help young people understand of where else the Charity could form a base, contact would what goes into producing their food, how farms are managed to be appreciated. Over the coming months FarmLink and do that, and what effect their consumer decisions have on the thelandsman will feature currently participating businesses, environment in which the food is produced. giving them the opportunity to illustrate exactly what being a Each of the businesses are enlightened enough to realise partner organisation entails. that people’s eating habits won’t change overnight but they can be given the information to make a reasoned judgement and For more information about FarmLink visit effect change. It might not be while the school children rely on www.farmlink.org.uk 11 classic cottages | Est. 1977 classic.co.uk

Finding exceptional homes that make great holidays. Call us on 01326 555 500 a farmer’s view Hedge laying – a country skill by Nick Green If someone started talking about pleachers, staking, binding and heels would you know what was being talked about? Ever since the Enclosure Acts of the 18th century, farmers and landowners have endeavoured to demonstrate ownership of their land by creating boundaries. Ditches, fences, walls and hedges have all been used to demark an area and, subsequent to the demise of shared grazing, keep animals in or out. Boundaries need maintaining. Hedges are a good case in point. In addition to an annual or biennial trim, some field hedges also need periodic laying to maintain their health and ability to form a stock proof barrier. This is where pleachers, staking, binding and heels come in. Picture a tangled mass of brambles, thorny plants, assorted trees and hedgerow shrubs growing out of control around the boundary of a field. As it grows taller, so the bottom of the hedge becomes thinner allowing livestock to pass through. Now imagine it being untangled, trimmed and laid into a series of partially cut through stems at a slight angle that will regrow. What a delight to see! This is hedge laying. So what does hedge laying entail? First of all, you need to clear out all the debris from the bottom of the hedge: brambles, stinging nettles and whatever else that shouldn’t be there. Once that has been cleared away, you can start laying the hedge. You need to select whatever plants are the most suitable. You don’t need to include everything but you do need to choose stems that when laid do not leave large gaps. Partially cut through the selected stem near the ground (no more than 4”/10cm high) and gently lay the pleacher (cut stem) facing uphill at about 35 to 45 degrees from horizontal. Remove the uncut heel from the bits of trees and bushes to tame, the five hours fly by. pleacher and start the next stem. You need to keep the pleachers Judges walk the site watching competitors working and then in place by crooking, staking or staking and binding. Repeating scrutinise the finished hedge. this multiple times will ensure a stock proof barrier is formed. Prize giving can be a raucous affair with plenty of banter A well laid hedge looks an absolute picture and if there are good amongst the competitors when prizes are being awarded. specimens of hedgerow trees in the hedge line these can be left Whether it’s a novice’s first prize or the most experienced standing for good effect. With the exception of chain saws, all hedger in the field winning an award, there is always a sense the tools used for hedge laying are hand tools. A typical tool kit of pride knowing that on the day and with that piece of hedge, contains a slasher, axe, bill hook, mallet and sharpening stone. you were judged better than your opposing hedgers. More Whilst there is a practical need to do this work, there are also importantly, and this applies to everyone competing, you have competitions staged around the country where hedge layers done a little bit to improve the environment we live in and compete against each other to see who can lay the best piece maintain part of the social history of our countryside. of hedge in an allotted time. Competitors range from novices For anyone within striking distance of North Somerset who have attended hedging classes for some weeks prior to interested in learning how to lay a hedge, the Wrington and the ‘match’ through to those who have been hedge laying for Burrington Hedging Society holds classes early each year. decades. Each competitor draws a straw at the start of the day For information about the classes, telephone the society’s to find out which ten yard stretch of hedge they have to lay. Start chairman, Clive Bethell, on 07976 895643. time is usually around 10.00am and the piece of hedge allocated has to be laid in a workmanlike manner with all debris cleared Nick Green MBA, Farm Operations Director away by 3.00pm. It doesn’t sound a lot but with the clock against Lye Cross Farm, Redhill, Bristol BS40 5RH you, others trying to do a better job, and the invariable awkward Tel: 01934 862 320 | www.lyecrossfarm.co.uk 13 Competition Winners Heat Holders Terrence Smith, Catharine Stansfeld, Dawn Welner, Mary Lennon, Rosalind Ford and Michael House FarmSkills Approved Practical Courses & Workshops Kate Humble Course Voucher 25th January – Safe Use of Veterinary Medicines for the Rebecca Gage Commercial Sheep Flock Listed Property Owners Club 31st January – 2 Day Cattle Foot Trimming Course Nadine George 14th Febuary – Practical Lambing

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14 green issues

stand alone. Large commercial and public sector consumers with space for a container-sized battery bank are planning to Batteries with everything invest so they can buy electricity when it’s cheap and sell or use it when it’s expensive. by Keith Wheaton-Green Income streams are managed for the owners of MW scale batteries by generation aggregators. They participate in auctions An argument regularly trotted out by the anti-wind turbine for provision to National Grid of generation capacity that can lobby has been that the intermittency of renewables rendered quickly respond to peaks in grid demand and adjust grid frequency. them virtually useless (they conveniently forget that generation Grid balancing to meet fluctuating demand has been a large intermittency is dwarfed by consumption intermittency). Well, part of our electricity bills because it has been particularly that argument is currently being blown out of the water by the difficult using large centralised nuclear and coal-fired deployment of huge battery banks to soak up some of the peak generators. Three huge pumped storage hydroelectric midday electricity generation and sell it from the battery for a generators buried within mountains in Wales and Scotland high price during periods of peak demand. help, but our increasingly distributed generation from wind, Now the end of subsidies for solar power is in sight, it is tide and solar needs distributed fast response grid balancing in surprising how quickly solar farm developers have found a viable addition. Batteries of all sizes will provide this, from domestic business model to allow the continued installation of new solar Tesla Powerwalls and commercial scale batteries behind the farms. There are numerous sites that have planning permission meter to reduce import from the grid, to strategically placed which the developers cannot build on in time before the subsidies multi megawatt battery banks to smooth grid voltages and end. However, adding battery storage to a solar farm to access reduce demand from large centralised generating stations. additional, lucrative income streams means a project can be Even electric cars are seen by our district network operators as profitable without subsidy. The first installations during 2016 electricity assets because their battery could be used for brief proved the benefits. This adjustment of direction by the solar but strategically important periods of grid balancing while they industry is occurring without prompts from government, although are plugged in and charging. they are trying to catch up with their November 2016 call for This is going to fundamentally alter the way the grid works. evidence of a smart, flexible energy system. John Pettigrew – CEO of National Grid – said recently “Our I discovered the importance of this emerging technology at engineers say that 2015 was the last year we operated the a photovoltaics and energy storage exhibition/seminar event system in the way it has operated for the past fifty. The way we at the NEC near Birmingham. All the major players were are operating now is fundamentally different.” Control of flows there. Battery providers, solar farm developers and electricity through the grid is becoming as important as actual generation. generation aggregators. I learnt that lithium ion battery Western Power Distribution have stated that they will not invest technology is now at the point where MWh scale battery banks in grid reinforcement because they predict lower volumes of inside person height cabinets are available ‘off the shelf’. They electricity sloshing around the grid because so much of it will be can respond to grid imbalances in milliseconds and can replace generated much closer to the consumer (much of it generated dirty diesel and gas generators. These are the expensive by the consumer!). ‘spinning reserve’ so loved by the anti-wind lobby that currently So precisely when wind turbines and solar farms generate do the ‘heavy lifting’ when millions of households boil a kettle their electricity now becomes irrelevant and we can look during the X Factor commercial break. During 2016 numerous forward to a smart grid, efficiently fine-tuned and lower national MW scale battery storage installations distributed right across grid charges. I wonder when the anti-wind brigade will finally the UK were planned. Some co-located with PV farms but many shut up for fear of sounding stupid.

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15 livestock

From two pigs to two farms - how it all began for thelandsman writers, Ian and Gillian Dixon When they bought their first two weaners to rear on an acre In the beginning they both continued to work full time, but as of rough ground, little did Gillian and Ian Dixon know the their livestock numbers grew, it became obvious where their direction they would soon be heading. Within a decade they true passion lay, and after a couple of years they gave up full would be running two farms, introductory training courses for time employment to concentrate on running the farm. They smallholders and a thriving business focused on traditional started small, taking back a couple of little riverside fields from native breeds and supplying poultry, sheep, cattle, meat boxes, their tenants to make hay to sell to smallholders. Next followed and wools. a few weaners to fatten for their own freezer, then a few sheep, Their farm has been in the family for over 60 years but when and so it began. Each year they would take back a field or two Ian’s father retired in the mid 1990’s the grass was let out to as their need for more grass increased. By 2013 they had the a neighbouring farmer; although Ian grew up on the farm he whole farm back in-hand and when the opportunity arose to was encouraged to leave and get a trade rather than follow rent some ground nearby, took that too, so they now manage in his father’s footsteps, so was working full time elsewhere. 145 acres, along with some winter sheep keep with various When they met, Gillian was working as a farm advisor for the smallholding friends. Westcountry Rivers Trust. They took on the farm’s management Initially their focus was on poultry and they built up a in 2000 and realised that to make a small farm viable they collection of over 35 rare breeds of chicken and for ten years needed to do something a little different, so focused on rare specialised in selling hatching eggs and young birds with an breeds and market all their livestock and produce directly emphasis on help and after-care. Customers came from as far rather than going through the sale ring. The farm is a traditional away as Scotland to collect their birds as their reputation for Devon holding with 80 acres of pasture and about 10 acres quality stock grew. Each breed pen has 1-2 cockerels and 4-5 of native mixed woodland, along with a mile of the River Lew unrelated hens that run at grass year-round. Every year the which flows into the Torridge at Hatherleigh. best of each hatch is kept to improve the parent stock and new 16 livestock bloodlines are occasionally brought in to reinvigorate lines. They Poultry’ course for the Devon Association of Smallholders are very strict on bio-security preferring to buy in new stock which was a great success. Since then, drawing on Gillian’s from hatching eggs wherever possible to reduce the risk of environmental educational background, a variety of smallholder bringing in disease. Breed numbers have now been reduced as related training courses have been developed and run each their focus has shifted to their growing sheep flock. year. These include Keeping Sheep, Pigs and Lambing to Land While Ian’s passion is restoring old tractors, particularly David Management and Maintaining Tractors. Course participants Browns, Gillian freely admits to being a bit of a sheep addict come from all over the country, often staying in the nearby as she explains about their various flocks. When looking for a village B&B’s seizing the opportunity for a min break. To breed to start with, they were attracted to the Balwen, a native accommodate the training, a traditional cob barn in the breed from Wales. These strikingly marked black sheep have farmyard has been sensitively converted in order to offer a a white blaze, white socks and tail tip, but are a small breed dedicated training space - the oak beams in the roof structure which has perhaps kept them on the rare breeds watchlist. were even cut from trees on the farm and hand carved by However, their meat is exceptional, and all the better for being Gillian’s father. A comprehensive course schedule is set each kept on an extra year and sent off as hogget. Inevitably the year, most being day courses that are run at weekends, along Dixons did not stop at Balwens, and preferring to breed pure or with a week-long ‘Smallholding School’ in the autumn. Private, pedigree animals, now have flocks of Shropshire, Exmoor Horn, tailored-made courses are also offered to those who want more Jacob, Coloured Ryeland, Greyface Dartmoor and are involved one-to-one tuition. The modestly priced courses are fun and in the creation of a new coloured breed, the ‘British Lavender’. Gillian didn’t take much persuading to increase sheep numbers to help manage the extra ground they took on and they plan to run around 200 ewes within the next few years. Females are either kept to add to the flock or sold for breeding while some castrated males go on to new homes as grass munching lawnmowers as they are pleasing to the eye. The remainder of the males are sold as meat boxes fresh from the farm, and not wanting to waste any of the animal when sent for meat, all the lamb skins are processed into luscious rugs, and the wool from shearing each year is sold as raw fleeces to spinners, or spun into balls to sell to hand knitters. Cattle soon followed, and after visiting numerous shows to decide on a breed, they settled on two; Beef Shorthorns for their temperament, looks and traditional qualities, and some rare Riggit Galloways. The Riggit has solid coloured sides with a white top-line, belly and white in the legs, often with a speckled face. It wasn’t until the 1980s that it was realised that a Riggit or ‘line-backed’ colouring had existed in Galloways; a handful relaxed with a mixture of classroom and hands-on experience of dedicated breeders across Britain are now working hard to allowing participants to ask as many questions as they like and bring back the breed from the edge of extinction and Ian and gain experience handling animals. Having run courses now Gillian are helping to play a part. They bought their first animals for over 10 years, the couple have helped over 2000 budding from a farm on Dartmoor, the herd owner being rather bemused new smallholders gain the confidence to start their own that they would choose a couple, then go off to sell a few more smallholding dreams. chickens and eggs, and come back 6 weeks later with the cash If you are thinking about making the leap into smallholding, in hand to purchase. Jack and the beanstalk comes to mind! attending a few courses is a great way of meeting like-minded At the moment all females are being retained in the herd and people at the same point in their journey and gaining the males go for meat boxes sold directly to their customers but confidence needed to make the move, as this past pupil enthuses: they make superbly marked cow hide rugs! “We came away crammed full of knowledge, inspired and As well as rare breeds, the couple are keen to improve the excited about the prospect of getting our first pigs. The day was wildlife value of the farm and their less intensive management brilliantly organised with the perfect blend of indoor and outdoor has paid off over the years. They recreated a traditional activities, the hands-on and the academic. A thoroughly enjoyable wildflower meadow, rich in orchids and yellow rattle, dug and informative training day, giving us all the skills, details and ponds, planted young hedgerow trees, and varied the hedge encouragement we need to begin our life with pigs”. management regime across the farm. The river was fenced off to protect it from livestock impacts such as bank damage and If you want to find out more about what Ian and Gillian are contamination of the watercourse and the protected buffer strip up to on the farm, or to book on a course, their website can provides a fantastic habitat and refuge for a variety of wildlife. be found at: www.southyeofarm.co.uk or follow them on In 2006 they were asked to run an ‘Introduction to Keeping Twitter @southyeoeast or Farmer Dixon on Facebook. 17 FARMER DIXON’S Smallholding Courses For all our latest special offers and unique 2017 Course Dates Lambing discounts and please visit 22nd or 28th January Pigs thelandsman.co.uk 7th January, 29th April

Sheep 4th February

Creating Live Willow Garden Structures 18th February Come and join us on our farm in Devon and learn in a friendly relaxed environment with plenty of opportunity to ask questions and handle the animals.

Cost £60/person or £115/couple

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18 veterinary practise Rules, regulations and hoops of legislation by Ben Barber, Synergy Farm Health

Keeping livestock can be incredibly rewarding but while management mainly involves the day to day feeding and caring of animals, it also means jumping through the hoops of legislation. When starting to keep farm animals for the first time, whether that be cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, deer or more than fifty poultry, you must register both the holding on which you When livestock dies on your farm it must be identified intend to keep them as well as yourself as their responsible and collected from your farm; you can make your own keeper. This is all done with the Animal and Plant Health arrangements for your fallen stock to be disposed of at an Agency (APHA), a branch of the government. approved premises, or you can use the National Fallen Stock Once you have animals on your holding, you must keep a Company (NFSCo).The burial or burning of fallen stock, even if record of numbers as well as recording animals arriving and a pet, is strictly forbidden due to the risk of spreading disease. leaving your farm. Some species, including cattle, sheep and As you can see there is a huge amount of responsibility that goats, require identification by appropriate ear tags during comes with the keeping of livestock! If you ever have any their time on the holding while pigs require ear tags or tattoos queries of concerns regarding these areas, then please do but only when leaving the holding. contact your local vet or the APHA to find out more. Cattle are unique in that you must also register with the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS). When calves are born it is important that they are tagged in both ears with an Below are some links which look further into the approved ear tag as well as registered with the BCMS and in requirements for keeping each species of animal. doing so receive a passport unique for that individual animal. It might seem excessive to provide so much information Registering, identification and movements: regarding animal locations and their movements between www.gov.uk/topic/keeping-farmed-animals holdings. All of this though stems from a desire to know the food supply chain as well as allow effective control in the Notifiable diseases list and contacts: event of a disease outbreak. There is also a requirement for www.gov.uk/government/collections/notifiable-diseases- animal keepers to be aware of ‘notifiable diseases’ that can in-animals affect the species they keep. A full list of ‘notifiable diseases’ can be found on the government website; if you ever suspect Removal of fallen stock: one of the diseases you should contact your local vet for www.gov.uk/guidance/fallen-stock advice or report it directly to the APHA.

Pet pigs? Small flock? Rare breed? • Meet other smallholders • Share, Discuss & Learn at vet run workshops • Save when you vaccinate • Vet visit and health plan outline • Smallholder specific seasonal newsletter Call us or e-mail us to discuss how being a member could benefit you, and your animals! Tel: 01935 83682 Email: [email protected] www.synergyfarmhealth.com

19 Hellier Pest Control

Who does it affect? The Stewardship Regime affects anyone who purchases Rodenticide control laws professional SGARs such as farmers, gamekeepers, and professional pest controllers. These groups are now required to show a Certificate of Competence in order to purchase – do you comply? rodenticides for outdoor use. by Hellier Pest Control What are the timescales for this legislation? Although the legislation began to be phased in last April, the HSE has allowed famers an extension. It has announced that Last Spring new legislation was introduced by the Health & membership of any farm assurance scheme with a requirement Safety Executive (HSE) regarding the purchase of professional- for an audited programme of rodent pest management will be strength rodenticides. This was the result of an EU Directive sufficient for the member to continue to be able to buy and from 2011 and will affect all groups who require these products use professional rodenticide bait until 31 December 2017. to control pests such as rats and mice. What is this directive, and what does it mean for you? How can I make sure I am compliant? There are three main routes to compliance. Firstly, affected What is it? groups can participate in an approved training programme The directive was designed to reduce the risk to other wildlife and obtain a Certificate of Competence. Secondly, they could such as barn owls and kestrels from second generation anti (if they have not already) become a member of a UK farm coagulants (SGARs) which, whilst effective, remain in the assurance scheme which has an audited programme of rodent environment and can be ingested by non-target species. pest management (NB this will only ensure compliance until The Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU) was the end of 2017). Finally, they could work with a professional tasked with developing the UK’s SGAR Stewardship Regime, pest controller with a certificate of competence, such as which began to be phased in in April 2016. Helliar Pest Control.

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MOLES FLYING CRAWLING DEER MICE INSECTS INSECTS MANAGEMENT

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20 Pest ControlLandsmanmm 2mm.indd /2/2 : rural issues 2017, a year of surprises? by Stewart Horne

As I start to write this look forward to 2017 in the first week of December, I can’t believe that another year has flown by. Although I am one that doesn’t look backwards too much, it is always worth reflecting on the previous year when planning ahead; that’s true in both our business lives and personal lives. So what have we learnt from 2016? For me, it’s the fact that politicians will tell you anything to get your vote. Now before you say we all knew that, I agree you had to take their promises with a pinch of salt, but now they actually confirm they lied to us! We saw it during the Brexit referendum, with the promise of £365 million a week to the NHS and the need for an emergency budget should the leave campaign win, and in the American presidential election, with Trump now backtracking on several promises. I don’t know what the Italian Prime Minister promised in the referendum vote that took place on 4th December, but once again the establishment has been rebuked by the population. Expect more surprises in the 2017 elections due to take place in Europe as people register their protest against Some impact from the Brexit vote is already occurring as the status quo. price inflation due to the fall of sterling affects the price of Closer to home what will 2017 bring? Well, certainly a lot imported goods and inflation. Did you notice how small the tins more twists and turns in the Brexit situation as there appears of Quality Street have become with the air bag wrapped sweets? to be as many outcomes as cooking an egg: hard boiled Brexit, Household budgets are likely to be squeezed somewhat making soft Brexit, poached (grey) Brexit, paid for Brexit or even a life a little harder for businesses to sell their goods. Some walk away Brexit! Perhaps a scrambled Brexit will be the final businesses will benefit though, certainly staycation holidays outcome. Truth be told we won’t really understand the full will dominate, which will help the South West’s tourism implications for the UK until 2019 at the earliest. industry. I can see construction doing well following the recent announcements on infrastructure spending, with the South West’s construction businesses benefiting from the Hinkley Point project - although areas surrounding Somerset may find getting the right labour more difficult in the future. This may stimulate new businesses to start up adding to the high volume of start ups that we have seen in recent years. Many small businesses will benefit from changes to business rates, particularly those in rural areas like village shops and pubs. The revaluation coming in for 2017/18 has a mixed picture with some premises seeing reductions and others increases; check yours on the Valuation Office website. Farmers and landowners will be following the debate on what the future agricultural support system will look like from 2020, although many, particularly in the upland areas, will be more concerned about the support payments due for 2015 and 2016 as a number of Basic Payment claimants are still chasing the correct amounts. With changes coming through in 2020, farmers would be well advised to have a good look at their businesses in preparation for the new system which inevitably will mean less public funding in the future. Expect 2017 to have a number of twists, turns and surprises given the backdrop I have described, but sometimes these make life interesting. Most of all, I hope readers have good health and enjoy the challenges the year may bring. 21 A.FROM JAMES W. PURDEY, SPORTING R GUNULE AND RIFLE STOCK & MAKER (EST.S LONDONON 1957) Monday to Friday: 9.00am - 5.30pm Saturday: 9.00am - 12.30pm or by appointment un Making Service • Fu Full G ll Gun • • Gun Fitting w Repair S ith Try ervice • Full Alteration Service Guns All work carried out in-house by • Collection Service apprentice trained craftsmen • Rifles • Air Pellets • Sight Mounts • Gun Cases • Cleaning Kits • Telescopic Sights • Oil & Sprays • Cartridge Belts • Cartridges • Ear Protectors • Cleaning Accessories • Ammunition • Gun & Rifle Covers • Air Rifles • Cartridge Bags • Shotguns • Game Bags • Security Cabinets

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22 CPRE

“Devolution” – what may this mean for all of us? by Robin Hogg, CPRE Devon

As a nation we now face a number of major changes in the way that any real devolution of power would be dependent on the our Government will react to the realities of Brexit. In particular election of a Mayor. He even seemed to suggest that this elected there will be changes to the way the Government supports the Mayor would have responsibility, not just for our local Combined farming and other rural communities. CPRE’s role in defending Authority, but for both Cornwall and Dorset as well. What seems and supporting the countryside and the rural economy will certain is that Devolution in some form or other is inevitable. become even more important, as the EU subsidies and some The present situation is most unsatisfactory in that these environmental legislation that have underpinned so many rural LEPs, are not Statutory Authorities, are not transparent in the businesses are scaled back and eventually withdrawn. way they operate, and have no environmental mandate. They In parallel with these Brexit realities, we will also face major strive almost totally for “Development” and to take advantage changes to Local Government, as the government in Westminster, of the current planning system to achieve it. Amongst its other in the wake of the 2011 Localism Act, seeks to press on with its aims, our LEP’s latest target is to build 179,000 new homes in policy of Devolution, and the creation of “Combined Authorities” Devon and Somerset! (CA), in some instances with an elected Mayor. Clearly, CPRE Devon, along with some of the other social, The rules for this are clear: Any new Combined Authority economic and environmental groups (SEEPS) will need to ensure will have to mirror the geographical area of the current Local that the countryside and the rural way of life are not forgotten in Enterprise Partnership (LEP); in our case the “Heart of the what looks likely to be a pursuit of urban-based growth. South West LEP”, covering both Devon and South Somerset. We need to argue strongly, and to campaign for, a role for Negotiations have already started between the County Councils, these SEEPs in any devolved Combined Authority. We need to and some 19 Councils have signed up to the Heart of the SW bid ensure that these Combined Authorities have members and last September. Any new Combined Authority for this area that paid staff dedicated to the protection of the countryside and the emerges will also bid for wider powers and control over many support of sustainable rural enterprise. They should be given aspects of local Government, and the considerable resources to a statutory requirement and dedicated resources to protect support them. existing planning, biodiversity and landscape designations, Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local other valued but undesignated landscapes and agriculturally Government was in Exeter on the 21st October and made it clear productive land. These are issues worth fighting for. 23 making a country living

Moor View Alpacas by Stephen Davy-Osborne

When the piglets beneath Emma Collison’s desk at work became just too much to deal with alongside her day job, she realised it was time to take the plunge and go rural full time.

Emma and partner Stuart Billinghurst had bought their own around and decided on alpacas instead. It’s very difficult to farm in South East Cornwall in 2011, but to keep a steady make a profit with a smallholding, so we were looking for income trickling in they both continued to work away from the something that we could work with that could start us off.” farm. With 10½ acres, on which they kept pigs, chickens and 16 While Stuart continued with his day job at the University of alpacas, they had their hands full, and with the piglets needing Plymouth alongside his farm commitments, Emma devoted a feed every two hours, it became apparent that Emma would herself to the farm full time and drew on their mothers’ knitting have to call time on the gym she was running and concentrate skills to make alpaca knitwear and bespoke bedding. However, her efforts on the farm if it was to take off. she realised they would need to take a further step on their Now, five years down the line they are celebrating not only the diversification journey to make the business sustainable. continued success of Moor View Alpacas – but also some rather This led them to cull one of their older male alpacas and have unexpected offshoots to the business. a butcher turn it in to sausages. Friends and family were used But why alpacas in the first place? “Well, you need a as informal tasters and after getting the thumbs up, Stuart dangerous animals licence for ostriches” laughed Emma, and Emma began taking the sausages to farmers’ markets reflecting on the decision making process of a few years ago. where they found there was a real demand for an alternative to “That and my arms just aren’t long enough. So we looked traditional pork sausages. Landing a spot at the BBC Good Food 24 making a country living

Show in 2014 helped things along the way too, and they have regularly appeared at the show ever since. Now, as they prepare for a new season of shows and fairs in 2017, Emma and Stuart are getting ready to hit the road with a hot food stand to take the taste of alpaca to the hungry visitors at county shows around the region. Having tested the products at a show in St Ives in the summer and the Royal Bath and West Show, they have found their alpaca burgers and sausages are going down a storm. “I think alpaca is popular because while it is low in cholesterol and fat, it still has that real meaty taste to it” said Emma. “But you don’t have that greasy stuffed feeling afterwards, which can be lovely sometimes, but equally you don’t always want to feel quite so full.” But Moor View Alpacas are not just about food; the couple are keen to promote alpacas as an all round animal. They still produce their popular knitwear, bedding and skins but at the with their livestock, and the farm has appeared on tail end of last year launched a new line of baby knitwear under George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces and a number of radio their Moor Baby brand. programmes such as the BBC Listening Project, which have all “The advantage of alpaca knitwear, apart from that it feels helped to drum up interest in the various sides to the business. amazing and is super soft, is that it can self-regulate its It has not always been plain sailing for the pair, who have temperature – which is great for babies. We also mix it with a lived on site in a mobile home while they jumped through little bit of nylon to make it a little more hardwearing.” hoops in a bid to be granted planning permission to build Emma’s mum couldn’t knit quickly enough to keep up with their dream home within the farm grounds. After many years demand, so some of the babywear has had to be outsourced to of demonstrating their robust business plan and proving its other businesses in the country, but each item is hand-finished success, they were finally granted permission to build an eco at home on the farm, with each button and label carefully hand- house into the ground with a large glass frontage and a grass stitched by Emma and her Mum – although mostly her Mum, roof that will allow them to graze their livestock around them. who can often be found in Emma’s farm office stitching away. Now their dream home and business seem to be taking shape It is a far cry from the gym rotas and workout regimes of times together in harmony. gone by. “It is not something I ever thought I would be doing, but it is The farm’s population has also expanded in recent years incredible to think where we are today and I love working on too. When Emma spotted Valais Blacknose sheep, deemed ‘the the farm” said Emma, reflecting on the journey the pair have world’s cutest sheep’ on BBC’s Countryfile programme, she undertaken over the course of the last five years. “We can take a just knew she had to establish her own flock alongside the step back and look at what we have achieved and start to build alpacas. Since bringing them to the farm in 2014, she has spent the business and find a balance. a week in Switzerland learning the art of shearing sheep in the “It has been hard work and you have to be insane to go into traditional way – all part of developing her skills even further. smallholding or farming, but it has been great and we really The couple have been featured on Countryfile themselves enjoy doing it.”

25 nt ou y’s t C P s re e m W i u

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Moor View Alpacas h

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A• l r p lie aca Supp

We produce beautifully made Bedding, knitwear and yummy meat from our animals. We rear quality Alpacas for fleece and for meat, as well as being the Original breeders of the Valais Blacknose sheep in the UK. We pride ourselves on good quality livestock and produce to the highest welfare standards.

valaisblacknosesheepuk.com www.moorviewalpacas.com @moorviewalpacas

WIN AN OVERNIGHT STAY, 3 COURSE DINNER AND FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST FOR TWO

Set in the heart of the Somerset Levels, Langford Fivehead offers relaxed, informal dining in a beautiful 15th century manor house, hosting six comfortable en-suite bedrooms and cosy, intimate dining rooms. To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize, simply email your contact details to [email protected] with your answer to this question: Question: In what year did Olly & Rebecca start welcoming guests to Langford Fivehead? a) 2005 b) 2013 c) 2010 The prize is available to be taken Tues to Sat inclusive before 30th June 2017. Langford Fivehead, Lower Swell, Nr Taunton, TA3 6PH www.langfordfivehead.co.uk | 01460 282020

One entry per household. Closing date is 17th February 2017. Please include in your entry if you do not want Langford Fivehead to use your personal data to contact you by electronic means (e-mail or SMS) with info about products or services.

26 farm to fork

Kale: ubiquitous, underrated & tasty by Riverford I got gloomy about mud too soon; the sun is back, the ground growing above the high tide mark on gravelly beaches near us. is remarkably dry underfoot again and the picking is good, As with all leafy veg, the most nutritious parts of kale are the if slightly delayed in the mornings while the frost melts. It is dark green outer leaves which with its loose, leafy formation, always hard to know how crops will thaw if you pick them with is all of it; perhaps the reason some herald it as a superfood. frozen leaves; they can turn to mush, so it is better for the Apart from being extraordinarily good for us (off the scale for crop and the fingers to wait for the sun, even though it can be vitamin A, high in vitamin C as well as Omega 3, antioxidants a struggle to get the picking done before the light goes. Given and fibre), it is also pretty easy to grow. Its indeterminate enough pairs of socks and good boots, cold and dry is great growth habit makes it particularly well suited to cut-and- working weather once the heat builds up in your overalls. come-again harvesting; even on a square metre you can have a Wherever people grow vegetables there is kale; everywhere regular supply of greens from September to April. We generally from the Equator to Norway, growers have selected varieties pick the crop three times, removing the lower leaves while they to suit local growing conditions and culinary tastes. We grow are unblemished and tender, Cavolo Nero (Italian and regally smug), Red Russian kale leaving the palm tree-like (sweet and tender though I’m not sure it is Russian at all; I apical meristem to generate first encountered it on a roundabout in Spain) Hungry Gap kale more leaves. By February, (tender, smooth and from Devon; planted too early this year so with lengthening days, most some has been in your boxes already), and Curly Green (frilly varieties are starting to run and reliable, if occasionally a bit tough) plus a few trial varieties. to seed so we take the head Of all the cultivated brassicas (swede, sprouts, cauliflower, in a final pick and turn in the broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, mustard, etc.) kale is the least cattle to eat what’s left, so altered from their wild ancestors, which can still be found not one leaf is wasted.

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Gardening in my head by Katherine Crouch

Although many gardening articles start with a cheery ‘this weatherproof shed instead of my grotty lean-to. I would have month in, the garden you should’ I have no intention of following an electrical supply and a shelf by the window for a nice new any of their advice, as I find the tasks for winter gardening to be propagator, within reach of a potting bench. damp and boring for the most part. If only I had room and budget I would certainly want a I rake leaves off the corner of the lawn where they gather, as spacious greenhouse with strong staging and heating, to raise leaving them to decay naturally would leave a bald patch on the seedlings such as tomatoes and peppers, which require a long lawn as the lack of light kills off the grass. In such ways does season of growth before they can be planted outdoors in May. It gardening differ from nature – some intervention is necessary would be sited in full sun near to my shed. Too many people use to get the desirable effect. That done, I stomp back indoors, not their greenhouse to store their pots, seed trays and compost, to return outside until there are snowdrops to admire and roses which is a waste of a greenhouse. You can get shed/growhouse to prune in February. combinations, with tool storage as well as growing space on a I need to be lured into the winter garden, armed with the right bench under a large window, which is a good compromise if you sort of tools and kit to bend me to a task with some form of do not have space for two buildings. I have a large coldframe enthusiasm. Setting light to a large bonfire used to do the trick – instead, it is amazing how useful it is. I love a good bonfire - but blotting out the parish in a blanket of A young couple, full of enthusiasm in their first home and smog seems to be frowned upon these days. garden, asked me recently what would be essential kit to start I wish my family would buy me things for Christmas I them off on a life time of gardening. I mentioned all of the above really need for the garden. Being properly dressed for winter essentials and luxuries. However I suggested that they first gardening is key. Searching in vain under the Christmas tree for asked friends and family for birthday and Christmas donations neoprene lined boots, mohair socks, a brushed cotton shirt with to save up for a really good quality teak bench and a pair of a decent long tail, a gilet with lots of pockets and really flexible huge frostproof terracotta pots. Tatty second hand tools, skanky and protective gloves, I know I shall have to buy them for myself old clothes and cheap accessories will keep you going for many in the January sales or at next year’s shows. years, but a good bench and pair of pots can move house with I acquire tools as I need them, and replace clothes as they you and serve you for a lifetime. become too thorn-torn to wear but I think I have most of what I need. Dreaming of the ideal garden scenario, I should want to Katherine Crouch Garden Design hang up my stainless steel gardening tools in a spanking new www.katherinecrouch.com 29 gardening

From garden to plate – create your kitchen garden by thelandsman

This issue sees the launch of our regular kitchen garden to grow and yet cost a lot in the supermarket such as asparagus, feature where, in each issue, we will talk with gardeners, hotels, which, once established, will keep providing you with delicious restaurants and organisations such as the Royal Horticultural and nutritious spears for years to come. Personally, one of our Society, on page 31, about how you at home, can create your own favourites is fresh asparagus tossed in olive oil and seasoned kitchen garden. In this issue RHS Rosemoor shares tips on how with salt and black pepper and roasted in the oven or better this is the perfect time for planning and how adding a few flowers still, on a bar-b-que for a minute or two – simply delicious, can make a more decorative kitchen garden. especially when home-grown. Serena Shirley from Victoriana As more and more people are concerned about the food they Nursery talks to us about all things asparagus in this issue, eat, in terms of the chemicals used, and the miles it has travelled see page 33. to reach shelves, all of which contributes to a loss of vital On page 10 Haxnicks are running a competition to provide nutrients, you can do something to alleviate this by literally taking 5 lucky readers with an Easy Tunnel Cloche to protect your matters into your own hands. No matter how small your outside new kitchen garden plantings so make sure you enter. space, you can grow salads and herbs in window boxes and There are many inspirational, established kitchen gardens in runner beans, tomatoes and strawberries in pots. Not only will the south west that you could visit for ideas and when dining out you be providing yourself and your family with fresh food but you it would be a good idea to seek out places that use produce they will also gain the benefit of physical exercise. It has been proven have grown themselves or sourced locally. Not only would you that being outside and gardening in particular, promotes good enjoy better tasting and more nutritious food but you would mental health and improves well-being. also be helping support local producers and the local economy. So, why not make this the year you start your own kitchen And if you are not able to grow your own then your nearest farm garden and enjoy produce you have grown yourself, knowing that shop is a good place to start looking for the freshest seasonal, no harmful chemicals have been used and it has only travelled and local, ingredients. minutes from the garden to the table. It’s almost guaranteed to Please share your finds and recommendations with us and taste better and it’s an activity the whole family can get involved our Twitter followers at twitter.com/landsmanlife. in, from little tots to great grandparents. thelandsman website www.thelandsman.co.uk is updated Literally anyone can have a go and it is so rewarding to regularly with News, Events, Special Offers and Recruitment harvest the fruits of your labour. Some items are relatively easy pages which are free to our advertisers.

If you would like more information about promoting your business to our diverse and wide readership throughout the south west why not get in touch for a chat to see how we can help you and take advantage of the free support we offer to our advertisers. We offer a free advert design service through our sister company www.soap-dc.co.uk Call Sandra Hardie today on 01460 55105.

30 gardening What, where and how - planning a kitchen garden by Peter Earl, Team Leader (Productive), RHS Rosemoor

This is the perfect time of year to start planning a new kitchen Don’t be tempted to relegate your veg plot to an out of sight garden. Not many of us have much of a choice of where to grow corner of your garden; make a feature of it. Add a few flowers our veg; it will either be somewhere within the garden or an such as sweet peas and choose some of the more decorative allotment; but if we could choose the ideal site, it would need to be: vegetable varieties to make your kitchen garden look as • Open – i.e. no trees or buildings to shade out our plot attractive as any flower border. • Level – much easier to work than a steeply sloping site Having chosen your site (and making sure it is rabbit proof), (which would need terracing). However, a gentle south think about the size and layout. It’s better to do a small plot facing slope would warm up quicker, allowing earlier well, than struggle to keep up with a big plot. So don’t be over crops to be grown ambitious, you can always expand next season. The layout • Free-draining is very much personal choice. It could be one larger plot or • Fertile subdivided into several smaller plots, which in many ways is • Sheltered from the prevailing wind much more versatile and avoids the need to walk on the soil. • Fenced against rabbits and deer if necessary. If you have thin stony soil, or struggle to bend over, then Of all these requirements, the soil is by far the most important consider raised beds which will allow you to increase the – but don’t despair if you haven’t got that elusive deep, rich, depth of soil and also allow you to straighten your back dark, crumbly, well-drained yet moisture retentive soil, as any while gardening. soil can be gradually improved by the regular addition of What to grow? Obviously grow only what you enjoy eating – well-rotted animal manure and garden compost. so make 2017 the year when you grow your own.

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32 gardening Kitchen garden - Asparagus by Serena Shirley, Victoriana Nursery

Start growing ASPARAGUS - a true gourmet vegetable that has been in cultivation for over 2000 years!

Why Bother? Potentially taking up a sizeable patch of the allotment or veg garden on a permanent basis, and with a relatively short cropping season it would be easy to ask the question, “Why bother growing Asparagus?” The simple answer is flavour!

What few people realise is how quickly Asparagus loses its sweetness and flavour once cut; the scientific reason behind this is because once cut the sugars in the spears rapidly start turning to starch - from a pure practical point of view it simply means there is no way that Asparagus that has been cut and sat on a supermarket shelf for days can have the same flavour as that harvested fresh from the garden, even more so if it started its journey from half way across the world! Couple that with the cost of Asparagus in the supermarket and the fact that once established a single plant will produce up to a Kilo of spears/per year for twenty years or so.

Planting Planning the position of your Asparagus bed is one of the key issues to consider. Happy in full sun to all but the deepest of shade, Asparagus prefers a well-drained but moisture underground rhizomes to spread, ensuring a bed that will crop retentive soil - so provided you add drainage to a heavy soil, well for at least a couple of decades! or moisture retentive organic matter to an overly light soil Asparagus really is not too fussy! Generally speaking, a bed of Whilst the bed establishes it is important to keep it weed free; this 10 or 20 plants will be ample for the average household; the is best undertaken by hand as overzealous use of a hoe can easily young plants need to be planted approximately 9” (23cm) apart damage the young plants. In Autumn the fern of the plants will in rows 18” (45cm) apart. Plants can be purchased either as yellow; cut this back to ground level before a final Autumn tidy up bare root crowns (that should be planted in the early Spring and treat the bed to a couple of inches of compost to suppress any just as the garden is waking up) or in the easier form of compost further weed growth and act as a Winter mulch. block grown plants that can be planted from March right through to September. Harvesting Depending on where you are in the Country your Asparagus For planting bare root crowns it is important to carefully spread should be ready to harvest about the middle to end of May - the spider like roots (which are actually horizontal rhizomes) into perhaps a little earlier in the South or later in the North. Harvest a prepared 10” (25cm) wide x 6” (15cm) deep trench, spacing the the spears when they are around 6” (15cm) tall by holding the centres approximately 9” (23 cm) apart, and then cover back with spear in one hand whilst cutting just under the soil with a sharp the soil. knife, being careful not to damage the crown. Depending on the weather, the harvest season can be three weeks in a bad year to Far easier are compost block grown plants which can simply be over a month and half in a good year. In the first year of harvest popped into holes taken out with a trowel every 10” (25cm) apart. (year 3) don’t be too greedy and take no more than a third of the spears; in following years you can take up to 80% of the spears. Patience & More Patience As soon as the emergence of fresh spears starts to tail off stop Regardless of whether you plant bare root crowns or compost harvest completely and allow the bed to grow its summer fern. block grown plants, it is important to let these settle and grow Once you’ve finished cropping give the bed a feed of organic away for at least a full year, and ideally two, before considering fertiliser and water regularly in dry spells before cutting back harvesting spears. This all important time allows the network of again and mulching in the autumn. 33 gardening

by Will Livingstone Grow it, eat it River Cottage

The term ‘weed’ has no botanical significance, because a plant The seemingly endless task of weeding and hoeing will that is considered a weed in one situation is not a weed when become less of a problem as the years go on. By reducing growing in another. We eat weeds at River Cottage. Chickweed weeds in the garden you reduce the weed seed bank, therefore for instance makes a lovely pakora, hairy bittercress adds a over time less weeds will appear and the job will become pepperiness to salads and nettles when picked young make easier. Make sure you regularly hoe on dry days as the sun will a nutritious soup. Many are edible and all are important for kill the weeds as they dry on the surface and be aware when biodiversity and in some cases essential for a healthy growing spacing plants that you have enough room to hoe in between habitat. My friend and colleague John Wright puts in a phone rows. Allowing weeds to run to seed will obviously perpetuate call to HQ before his ‘Hedgerow Foraging’ course insisting that I the problem. If you are sowing green manures, leaving them don’t do any weeding. I oblige, but still get stick on his arrival for in the ground too long in the spring means that they could set weeding too much. seed and produce weeds, so cut down and incorporate before There are two main types of weeds, annual and perennial. they reach sexual maturity. The perennial weeds are the most troublesome to the gardener, If you are starting a new plot or reclaiming an old piece of as with deep roots and a pernicious growth habit they can create ground, removing the inevitable blanket of vegetation is the a lot of work all year. It is important when removing perennial first port of call. Once cleared, and roots and stones removed, weeds that you get all of the root as many can self-propagate laying old carpet or cardboard on bare soil will control any from the smallest bit. Also be aware that when composting rogue weeds until you are ready for cultivation and planting. weeds, it is wise to burn the really persistent ones. Ground We often use a reusable woven nylon fabric mulch to look elder, mare’s tail, bindweed, perennial nettle, knotweed and after new areas of development. This allows water to couch grass are the main culprits. Meadow grass can be one of penetrate but excludes light. This means we can grow the most troublesome weeds for the kitchen gardener; keeping ground cover plants like squash and courgettes through grass paths and borders mown and weeded will stop grass seed the fabric whilst keeping weeds at bay, a good trick if you spreading. Annual weeds such as redshank, fat hen, mayweed, have a large garden and don’t have time to do it all at once. groundsel and chickweed are easier to control but you need to When you lift the mulch you will have a nice patch of bare keep on top of them. It’s important to learn the difference. soil to work with. 34 gardening

Red cabbage, parsnip, orange and dates

This salad is a perfect for a winter starter or light lunch. It’s quick to prepare, looks stunning and it’s adaptable too: try using unsulphured dried apricots instead of dates, for instance, leave out the parsnip for a lighter salad, or substitute a large carrot if you like. Chervil and parsley both work well in place of thyme.

SERVES 2 1 large or 2 small oranges ¼ small red cabbage, core removed, finely shredded 1 small-medium parsnip, peeled and coarsely grated or cut into julienne 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 Medjool dates, stones removed, sliced A couple of sprigs of thyme, leaves only, chopped Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Slice the top and bottom from the orange. Stand it upright on a board and work your way around it with a sharp knife, cutting off the skin and all the pith. Cut out the segments from between the membranes, working over a bowl to save the juice, letting the segments fall into the bowl. When you’ve finished, squeeze the juice from the remaining membrane into the bowl too.

Put the finely shredded cabbage and grated parsnip into another bowl, add most of the orange juice (not the segments yet) and trickle over the olive oil. Add a little salt and pepper, toss the lot together with your hands, then transfer to serving plates.

Scatter the orange segments and date slices over the red cabbage and parsnip, then finish with a scattering of thyme. Serve straight away.

Recipe taken from River Cottage Veg Every Day, written by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, published by Bloomsbury, £25, Hardback, available from rivercottage.net | Photography © Simon Wheeler

35 wildlife Help make a difference now by Songbird Survival When you see and hear songbirds singing sweetly in your garden do you ever stop and think about how hard their lives must be? Some things are not that different from humans: finding the right house, meeting the right mate, working your socks off to feed the children. But that’s where the similarity with modern human life ends. Tree Sparrow down 95% Finding a safe place to roost at night without some stoat eating you; finding enough food to eat so that you don’t starve and freeze to death; flying safely from one tree to the next without becoming a sparrowhawk’s supper; trying to rear young to adulthood without the neighbour’s cat munching them first; flying south for the winter only to be shot for fun on the way there or back. Life is pretty hard for our song and other small birds and sadly, some of our birds have not done too well.

How you can help? Feeding high quality, fat and protein rich foods such as seeds, nuts and fruit is essential for small birds – especially over winter when natural food sources are scarce. Don’t put out Bullfinch down 39% bread or other low nutrition foods as these just fill up birds’ bellies without giving them enough high quality nutrition. Water is essential to all animals, including birds. Having a fresh, clean water source in your garden will help a variety of wildlife. Putting up nestboxes is always helpful. There are much less natural places for birds to nest and artificial nestboxes help tremendously. Try to source woodcrete boxes which are impervious to predators and so give the little ones more of a fighting chance to survive. Make sure to keep all feeders, nestboxes, food and water as clean as possible to help reduce the risk of spreading diseases. Lastly; you can support SongBird Survival (SBS) and our Lesser Redpoll down 83% programme of scientific research into small bird decline in the UK.

To find out more about the charity visit the website: www.songbird-survival.org.uk, call 01379 641715 or email [email protected]

Starling down 89%

36 country diary

January/February Diary

January – 19 February 14 January 2017 Winter Sculpture Exhibition Social Media for Smallholders An exciting and eclectic mix of exhibits from a diverse collection Come and learn how to get started and how various forms of sculptors, spread throughout the Garden. Pick up a trail of social media can help you promote your smallholding and see how many sculptures you can discover. For more business. (10am - 4pm) £55 (£75 for Non-members). information visit www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor or call For more information email [email protected] 0845 265 8072 or visit www.devonsmallholders.co.uk

7 January Game & Seasonal Inspiration Cookery Course Come to Exmoor’s Streamcombe Cookery School for a day spent preparing and cooking a variety of game, including a selection of versatile recipes bringing in a range of other seasonal produce. 10am - 5pm. £125pp inc. lunch and refreshments. Contact Ian on 01398 322873, email [email protected] or visit www.streamcombecookery.co.uk 16 January & 24 Feb 9 January & 6 Feb Breadmaking Italian Food Cookery Course A hands-on day learning the art of breadmaking A day spent learning about the regional food of Italy, focusing on at Streamcombe Cookery School on Exmoor. All of authentic ingredients and classic recipes. Held at Streamcombe the fundamental techniques are covered, creating Cookery School on Exmoor, you will learn to make fresh pasta and pizzas, panna cotta plus a variety of other dishes. 10am to sourdough loaves, brioche, focaccia, naans, tortillas 5pm. £125pp inc. lunch and refreshments. Contact Ian on 01398 and fruit loaves for you to take home. 10am-5pm. 322873, email [email protected] or visit www. £125pp inc. lunch and refreshments. streamcombecookery.co.uk

9 & 10th January and 13 & 14th Feb Contact Ian on 01398 322873, Chainsaw Competence email [email protected] CITY & GUILDS NPTC LEVEL 2 AWARD IN CHAINSAW or visit www.streamcombecookery.co.uk MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS - OCCASIONAL USER (NPTC, C&G 0029-04) (9am PROMPT - 4pm) £235 (£255 for Non-members) price includes NPTC certification. For more information email [email protected] or visit www.devonsmallholders.co.uk

13, 19, 20, 26, 27 January and 2, 3, 9 & 10 February Glass Blowing Spend the day with a working Glass Blower in the studio, learn about glass, blow your own wine glass! Cost £200.00pp. For full 17 & 28 January and 8, 17, 28 Feb details call 01747 811 099 or visit www.dorsetruralskills.co.uk Welding Arc, MIG and Gas welding for beginners or refreshers. 13 January & 10 Feb Cost £170.00pp For full details call 01747 811 099 or visit Fish Cookery www.dorsetruralskills.co.uk A day of filleting, gutting, frying, grilling and baking fish at Streamcombe Cookery School, Exmoor. A hands-on course 20 January covering a variety of fish types and with an emphasis on Willow Sheep & Pig Sculpture sustainability and sourcing. 10am-5pm. £125pp inc. lunch Make your very own 3 ft. farmyard animal! As with all other and refreshments. Contact Ian on 01398 322873, sculpture days, no previous willow making experience email [email protected] or visit required, just lots of enthusiasm! To book contact Sarah www.streamcombecookery.co.uk at www.sarahlebreton.co.uk or call 07905 342091 37 country diary

21 January & 20 Feb (10am - 4pm) £55 (£75 for Non-members). For more Taste & Techniques Cookery Course information email [email protected] A day spent understanding your own sense of taste, how to or visit www.devonsmallholders.co.uk bring the best out of ingredients, plus a selection of key culinary techniques to make you a more natural and intuitive cook. Held 21 January - 12 Feb at Streamcombe Cookery School on the edge of Exmoor, from Sensational Snowdrops 10am to 5pm. £125pp inc lunch and refreshments. Contact A display of digital snowdrop prints copied from originals in the Ian on 01398 322873, email [email protected] RHS Lindley Library Art Collection. For full details call 01805 or visit www.streamcombecookery.co.uk 624067 or visit www.rhs.org.uk/rosemoor

21 & 29 January 21 January, 10, 25 Feb Lambing for Beginners Pig in a Day For all those with an interest in keeping sheep who will Master the art of pork from nose to tail and start to finish, with be lambing for the first time and wants to understand how an intensive day of butchery and cookery at River Cottage. Cost to prepare & manage their sheep for & during lambing. £240pp. Visit www.rivercottage.net

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Streamcombe Cookery School Katherine Crouch Dulverton - Exmoor - Somerset GARDEN DESIGN Breadmaking Fish cookery Full garden design service - Garden consultation Culinary techniques Maintenance advice - Plant Supply - Garden club talks Game & seasonal food | Indian and Italian www.katherinecrouch.com [email protected] plus 01460 53284 / 07594 574150 Team building Private groups 2 Pound Cottages, Donyatt, Iminster, Somerset TA19 0RT Day courses from £125 Chelsea Gold Medal 2013 [email protected] | 01398 322873 www.streamcombecookery.co.uk

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38 country diary

21 January and 4 & 18 Feb 11 February Village Blacksmith Experience Manage Your Accounts in Excel Spend a day in a working forge, learn techniques and take home This one-day course is for those who need to keep simple farm a project. Cost £160.00pp For full details call 01747 811 099 or accounts in order to provide HMRC with proof of the profit or visit www.dorsetruralskills.co.uk loss from their smallholding. £60 (£80 for Non-members). For more information email [email protected] 22 & 28 January 11 and 26 Feb or visit www.devonsmallholders.co.uk Meat Curing & Smoking Meat lovers unite, for a day of artisan curing and smoking skills 11 & 17 February at River Cottage Cookery School. Cost £240pp. Get Growing Visit www.rivercottage.net Nurture a passion for gardening and learn to grow your own, with a day of organic fruit and vegetables at River Cottage 23 January & 27 Feb Cookery School. Cost £145pp. Visit www.rivercottage.net Indian Cookery Course A day spent learning about the regional food of India, focusing 18 February on authentic ingredients, flavours and techniques. Held at Willow Basketmaking for Beginners Streamcombe Cookery School on Exmoor, you will learn to You will be taught basic techniques to create a simple round make a range of dishes bringing to life this varied cuisine. basket, which you can take home at the end of the day. 10am to 5pm. £125pp inc. lunch and refreshments. Contact Ian For more information contact Caroline Butler on 01823 490249 on 01398 322873, email [email protected] or or [email protected]. visit www.streamcombecookery.co.uk 19 February 27 January Introduction to Pig Keeping Apple Pruning Workshop Anyone with an interest in keeping pigs who wants to know Join Hestercombe’s Head Gardener Claire Greenslade for a how to get started - either with your first few animals or before morning’s workshop. She’ll share her top tips about the best way to you buy. (10.30 prompt - 4pm) £50 (£70 for Non-members). prune apple trees so you have healthy trees and a good crop. 10am For more information email [email protected] – 12.30pm for full details visit www.hestercombe.com/whats-on/ or visit www.devonsmallholders.co.uk

February 19 February Snowdrop Weekends at Forde Abbey Living Willow Sculpture Snowdrops, those beautiful harbingers of spring, appear in This course will give you the basic knowledge and hands on there thousands across the gardens as well as lining the drive. practical experience to plant/build your own living willow Every Saturday and Sunday throughout February, the Gift Shop arbour or fence. (10am - 4pm) £55 (£75 for Non-members). and Tea Room will also be open. For more details visit For more information email [email protected] www.fordeabbey.co.uk or visit www.devonsmallholders.co.uk

5 February 24 February An Introduction to Keeping Sheep Rose Pruning Workshop Anyone with an interest in keeping sheep who wants to know Join Hestercombe’s Head Gardener Claire Greenslade for a how to get started - either with your first few animals or before morning’s workshop. She’ll share her top tips about the best you buy. (10am - 4pm) £55 (£75 for Non-members). For more way to prune apple trees so you keep your roses blooming information email [email protected] or visit perfectly. 10am – 12.30pm for full details visit www.devonsmallholders.co.uk www.hestercombe.com/whats-on

10 February 26 February Proper Pastry & Pies Poultry Dispatch & Dressing Master the heartiest savoury baking, with a lesson in pies, A practical course covering humane culling, hand plucking, pastry and suet pudding at the River Cottage Cookery School. eviscerating and dressing of chicken & ducks - hands on. Cost £195pp. Visit www.rivercottage.net (10am - 4pm) £55 (£75 for Non-members). For more information email [email protected] 11 and 26 February or visit www.devonsmallholders.co.uk Cheese making From curds and whey to the finished truckle, learn how to make cheese with a day of delicious dairy at River Cottage Cookery School. Cost £240pp. Visit www.rivercottage.net twitter.com/landsmanlife 39 Smallholder Insurance Without the sting

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