Our Newest Resident
Hello from Bramblewood Farm
As the newest member of the community here at Preston Hall Estate, I am very grateful to have this opportunity to introduce Bramblewood Farm and share our journey with you all. But first, I have a confession to make.
I am an agricultural novice. A green horn. A muggle.
As a result, my life has been turned upside down as I try to learn the ropes and master the skills I need to turn my dreams into reality. I move between moments of pure joy at the sight of the pigs rooting in the woods and abject despair when filling in pointless and impenetrable forms. I’m also considering setting a boobytrap for the person or creature who has dedicated themselves to cutting my hoses and grounding my fences.
Despite these challenges, or perhaps because of them, I am genuinely the happiest I’ve ever been. Nietzsche said that ‘those who have a why to live can bear almost any how’, and maybe that works for happiness as well as perseverance. So, I thought I would try to articulate my ‘why’ and thus the purpose that drives Bramblewood Farm, and offer this vision to you, such as it is.
As with any vision, it exists within a context. Which is that for the first time in history, our children will inherit a planet with less fertile soil, less clean water, and less food security than the world their parents were born into. At the same time, our society is experiencing a rise in ‘diseases of lifestyle’ with strong links to the ultra-processed foods we eat. For those of us who are spared this, we often still feel chronically tired, bloated, or sluggish. And this is all occurring beneath the spectre of climate change, which industrial agriculture has much to answer for.
Bramblewood Farm is our attempt to join the growing number of regenerative farmers who want to follow a different path. We want to recover our health by growing the food that we struggle to get in our current system for ourselves and our community. We want to reestablish a connection with the land that feeds us and farm in a way that restores rather than depletes. So that those who come after us might inherit a landscape that is healthier and grows food that is truly nourishing.
The good news is that change does not require painful upheavals or for everyone to start a farm. It mostly begins in small, everyday acts. Choosing food grown closer to home reduces reliance on complex supply chains that stretch across continents. Asking questions about how food is produced encourages greater transparency. Cooking with the seasons helps us reconnect with natural rhythms. Even something as simple as buying eggs from a nearby farm instead of an anonymous box on a shelf makes a difference, because it allows that farm to grow and survive into the future for when you really need them. Each small act, repeated by many, helps tip the balance towards a food system that is more resilient, healthier, and compassionate.
So, to arrive back at the beginning. What drives me to haul my body weight in animal feed up and down the fields twice a day? Or to go out in the rain on a cold morning and move the birds another ten feet further up the pasture. Or to sit with the pigs every day to make sure they are happy and trust me. And, of course, to mend those hoses and pick up the fences when my shadowy nemesis wreaks havoc in the night.
I want my children, and theirs, and yours, to have the best possible chance of a healthy and happy life. And I want that good life to not require the suffering of animals, the mining of our soil, and the destruction of our ecosystems. I want to produce nourishing food whilst incentivising respect and love for our animals, encouraging care and stewardship of our soils, and allowing the wildlife and natural systems around us to flourish.
To achieve this, we must understand that our daily, and seemingly insignificant, choices matter a great deal as they aggregate. The truth is, what we eat and where it comes from matters, and the way we choose to care for the land, for our animals, for each other, and for the generations yet to come, will decide the kind of world we leave for them, and the future they will inherit. We will not solve the all the world’s food challenges, but we might help to make our community healthier and more secure.
It doesn’t demand perfection, because that’s not possible, we are still human after all. You can still shop at a supermarket, enjoy a takeaway, and all the things that make our modern life so enjoyable. All that’s needed, is for you begin supporting local producers in whatever way you can and try to understand what it takes to put food on your plate. Do not doubt your own significance or impact, and remember that for want of a nail the kingdom was lost.
My family and I are delighted to begin this journey here at Preston Hall, and we look forward to sharing more with you as the seasons turn. Our hope is that Bramblewood Farm becomes not just a small farm within the estate, but a neighbour and servant to you all. I hope to become a responsible member of our community helping to connect it’s people with the land, the food it provides, and to each other.
If you would like to find out more about how we plan to achieve all this or to support us in our journey, then please join us on our upcoming farm open days. You can also visit our website www.bramblewoodfarm.co.uk, follow our Instagram The_Bramblewood_Farm, or come along to our new Farm Shop in Rosemains Steadings.
We look forward to meeting you all soon.
Nick