Bleats and Blogs

I have just finished reading Lindsey Fitzharris’ book ‘The Butchering Art’ (Penguin, 2018). And fascinating it was too, but not for the feint-hearted. It’s a compelling read about the life and medical career of Joseph Lister whose indomitable interest in sepsis...

As I write this my house is filled with the most wonderful aroma – a glorious combination of brandy, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and dried fruit. Yes you have guessed it – my Christmas puddings are delightfully on the boil, giving off a scent so evocative of this time of...

I am not quite sure how I do it but I manage to convince all the animals here at Primrose Farm of three rules by which they must live harmoniously together. These rules are: Love is unconditional Respect is mutual and We don’t eat family members This is no mean feat...

One of my fondest memories as a child was, very occasionally and as a big treat, my mother would allow my two sisters and I to pop some corn in a pot. I loved the dull thud, thud, thud of the kernels exploding in the hot oil as the kitchen filled with that...

I discovered today that if you mislay something and need to report it, you have to do it online via a website called “Report My Loss”. No longer can you walk into a police station (Honiton’s doesn’t have a reception anymore), nor can you call anyone to report the loss...

The celebration of life is very much part of farming. For me, the joy comes during lambing and from the amount of media attention this annual event receives, many who may not be directly associated with a farm, take part with me, albeit from a distance. What is less...

Maremmas, Italian mountain dogs, are a working breed, going out with the sheep in Italy for days at time and in the absence of any human intervention, looking after the flocks on their own. They don’t herd like a Border Collie. They just protect against predators....

Southdown wool duvets are flame retardant and are formally certified as such. But the test results were not the first time I came across this amazing physical property in wool. Nothing like a hands on experience to bring the message home. It all happened 8 years ago...

No – in fact, shearing is such an essential element of good animal husbandry, if you don’t do it, the sheep will die a miserable, painful death. Sheep grow thick wool fleeces – fact. These fleeces attract blow flies especially in summer – another unavoidable fact....

My household uses a lot of milk. I drink a lot of tea as do all the folk who help me here on the farm. My dogs love milk and I claim to make the most delicious milk tart in Devon – a richly satisfying teatime treat considered a South African national treasure. But...