As the country has continued to open up, we've enjoyed welcoming more visitors back to FarmED.
One group enjoyed a Seasonal Supper, using all local seasonal vegetables. They made curries from scratch with organic spices and fresh herbs from the kitchen garden here at the farm.
On the Heritage Grains and Sourdough Day, bakers used traditional methods and flour made from the heritage grain grown here on the farm. They spent the day learning all the basic knowledge and skills to produce delicious homemade bread, as well as an education into the history of the grain and the health benefits of sourdough.
More visitors were inspired by an Introduction to Regenerative Agriculture and Sustainable Food course and enjoyed a super-local lunch handpicked by our food and nutrition coordinator, Alexis, from our kitchen garden.
It was a pleasure to host The Country Trust for induction training for their new Farm and Food Discovery Coordinators, including our two new FarmED coordinators, Emma and Heidi. Thanks to funding from the Rothschild, Thirty Percy and Thomas Frank Foundations, they will be planning, organising and delivering Food and Farm Discovery visits, and Farm in a Box programmes, for children here at FarmED and other local farms, and in schools across the region.
We explored Managing Grassland for Horse Health and Diversity with Frances Standen and the Glorious Cotswold Grassland team from the Cotswold AONB and a diverse range of land managers. Can the equine industry be regenerative? Can more space be left for nature? The day workshop looked at horse nutrition, the health benefits of species-rich grasslands and ways that equine businesses can have a positive impact on biodiversity.
Most weeks, Ian has lead groups on Friday Farm Walks and Picnics, taking in the new lambs and calves, the blossom in the orchard and frothy hedgerows.