In the fifth instalment of my twelve part Indie Farmer series, supported by the Lund Trust and the High Weald National Landscape, I visited Lomas Farm in Sandhurst, Kent to spend a day with farmer David Cornforth, to understand how his passion for healthy soils and low input farming guides
We visited Berries on Tap, a small family-run soft fruit farm near Selsey in West Sussex that is pioneering a new model by selling premium berries directly to consumers via vending machines. I visited Berries on Tap in late summer 2025, six years after the Evans family stepped away from
Groundswell — farming’s very own Glastonbury — returns each summer to the Cherry family’s Hertfordshire farm, drawing a growing crowd of farmers, thinkers, growers and storytellers grappling with some of the biggest questions facing food and agriculture. Across two packed days — with more than 10,000 people attending — I moved
Brightleigh Farm is a mixed livestock holding near Outwood in Surrey, run by Penny and Nigel Franklin alongside Penny’s daughters Ellie and Joely. The farm produces 100 percent pasture fed beef, free range pork, poultry and eggs, all sold direct to customers through their on farm shop and a
Brickpits Organic Farm, a 110-acre off-grid organic enterprise located in the High Weald near Uckfield in East Sussex, is no ordinary farm. Built from scratch in 1999 by Ian and Lynnie Hutchison on some bare arable fields, it is now home to a patchwork of pastures, hand-planted hedgerows, beetle banks,
Limden Brook, a 450-acre farm of permanent pasture, floodplain meadows and wooded banks in the Limden Valley, has been home to the Newington family for more than 120 years. Today, fifth-generation farmer Sam Newington and his wife Becky run a herd of 55 suckler cows, producing 100% pasture-fed beef for
Plaw Hatch Farm, a 200-acre biodynamic co-operative on the edge of the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, is no ordinary farm. Owned by more than 700 shareholders and run by a community of growers and livestock keepers, it is home to a thriving dairy, market garden, farm shop and butchery
Back in 2021, I shared a post called How to Start a Meat Box Business, which struck a chord with a lot of small-scale farmers. Fast forward a few years and I wanted to offer a follow-up, drawing on our own experience of running a successful monthly farm gate sale
Pasture and Profit in Protected Landscapes is funded by Farming in Protected Landscapes Fund (FiPL) offering free, innovative mentoring and an events programme across several National Landscapes for farmers interested in increasing farm profits and biodiversity through the management of grazing animals. We recently caught up with Deborah Barker, Pasture
Stories of farming, food and life on the land
Brightleigh Farm is a mixed livestock holding near Outwood in Surrey, run by Penny and Nigel Franklin alongside Penny’s daughters Ellie and Joely. The farm produces 100 percent pasture fed beef, free range pork, poultry and eggs, all sold direct to customers through their on farm shop and a
Brickpits Organic Farm, a 110-acre off-grid organic enterprise located in the High Weald near Uckfield in East Sussex, is no ordinary farm. Built from scratch in 1999 by Ian and Lynnie Hutchison on some bare arable fields, it is now home to a patchwork of pastures, hand-planted hedgerows, beetle banks,
Limden Brook, a 450-acre farm of permanent pasture, floodplain meadows and wooded banks in the Limden Valley, has been home to the Newington family for more than 120 years. Today, fifth-generation farmer Sam Newington and his wife Becky run a herd of 55 suckler cows, producing 100% pasture-fed beef for
Plaw Hatch Farm, a 200-acre biodynamic co-operative on the edge of the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, is no ordinary farm. Owned by more than 700 shareholders and run by a community of growers and livestock keepers, it is home to a thriving dairy, market garden, farm shop and butchery
Back in 2021, I shared a post called How to Start a Meat Box Business, which struck a chord with a lot of small-scale farmers. Fast forward a few years and I wanted to offer a follow-up, drawing on our own experience of running a successful monthly farm gate sale
Pasture and Profit in Protected Landscapes is funded by Farming in Protected Landscapes Fund (FiPL) offering free, innovative mentoring and an events programme across several National Landscapes for farmers interested in increasing farm profits and biodiversity through the management of grazing animals. We recently caught up with Deborah Barker, Pasture
We recently meet up with first generation small holder Dr Joanna Gore at Green Oak Farm in Brightling, East Sussex to shoot a short film to help promote the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme, which is delivered locally by the High Weald National Landscape team. More than £1.3million
We recently caught up with Organic Beef Farmers Sam and Becky Newington at Burgham farm in Etchingham, East Sussex to shoot a short film to help promote the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme, which is being delivered locally by the High Weald National Landscape team. With funding still available
We recently caught up with Organic Dairy Farmer Dan Burdett at Cockhaise Farm, near Haywards Heath in West Sussex to shoot a short film to help promote the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme, which is delivered locally by the High Weald National Landscape team. With funding still available for
We recently caught up with first generation farmers Helen and Neil Ridge at Fresh Meadow Farms in Dallington, East Sussex. Having got to know them over the last few years at our local farmers market we jumped at the chance to visit their farm to shoot a short film to
We visit Kingsclere Estates in North Hampshire to meet Regenerative Farmer Tim May, to learn more about his sustainable model of share farming and land management. Tim is the fourth generation to farm at the family owned 2,500 acre estate located in the Hampshire downs, an Area of Outstanding
Over the last few years I’ve built up a small meat box business direct from our family farm. It might not appeal to all farmers, but with very little in the way of startup costs – it’s not that difficult to give it a try. I’ve enjoyed building
