Escape to the Farm

Today Kate visits a farm in Shropshire which faced many of the same challenges in making a small farm pay. At Fordhall Farm they have found that selling meat direct to customers offers them the sort of returns Kate can only dream of. Might it be worth following in their footsteps and investing in a direct selling business to make more of the farm’s existing flock of sheep?

Making the farm more profitable is one way to secure its future, but maintaining it and continually improving it is another, so Kate is investing serious money in a new area for her beloved pigs. A new, cleaner area for them will ensure their welfare at the highest standard and help with feed costs.

Kate’s farming life is more than all work – she’s also taking us on one of her favourite walks to meet a very special bird, foraging for edible freebies and cooking her own home grown asparagus for the very first time.

Visit Fordhall Farm

Join Liz Knight on a foraging course

Today, Kate’s focusing on her cattle to see if she can maximise her returns from her herd, and she might have come up with an unexpected solution. Prize-winning cattle command bigger prices, so Kate wants to learn all that is involved in getting cattle show ready – from diet to blow drying techniques to ringcraft – there is so much to take on board. Having mastered the basics, Kate has a chance to try showing for herself at the Royal Welsh Smallholding and Countryside Fair. Will her show career get off to a winning start?

Back at the farm, Kate’s got a massive job on her hands, renewing the fencing at the farm’s northern edge. It’s a key task, so she’s got the help of a third-generation fencer. Job done, it’s time for an early morning hike up the highest mountain in southern Britain with a delicious breakfast cooked outdoors at the end as a reward. She’s also rustling up her favourite aubergine dip and foraging for an unexpected superfood.

Learn about the great work Brecon Mountain Rescue do

Visit Fire Pits UK

Join Liz Knight on a foraging course

Today, Kate’s focusing on her flock of 300 sheep, whose fleeces could fetch as little as 60p each at today’s prices. She’s determined to see if she can find a cleverer, more profitable way to sell her wool, and meets up with two inspirational women on a farm in Hampshire who have found a way to increase the value of their wool a hundredfold. They have developed their own special breed of sheep, and they also spin the wool and colour it to produce their own deluxe knitting yarn.

On the farm, Kate’s creating a dedicated home for 250,000 new arrivals: a muddy corner of a field is transformed into a beautiful wild flower meadow, with a beehive shelter made with wood specially milled by Farmer Tim.

Out in the countryside, Kate shares her favourite bluebell wood walk. On the open fire, she’s cooking up a one pot chicken casserole and a simple, but exotic-sounding courgette, artichoke and burrata panzanella.

Find out more about The Grey Sheep Company

Visit Gather Wool 

Visit Boston Seeds

Join Liz Knight on a foraging course

Today, Kate’s mission takes her to surprising new heights, in the shape of innovative treehouse accommodation and an intriguing business model. Could it help keep the farm flourishing?

Kate’s got an unexpected treat for her ducks and hens as they finally get out of lockdown and Farmer Tim’s got a shock in store when Kate arrives at the farm after a shopping trip with a difference with three tiny additions to the farm.

She’s also indulging some of her passions; from cooking outdoors to foraging and investigating the dark secret on her doorstep beneath the beautiful surface of the River Wye.

Find out more about the Wye Usk Foundation

Visit Living Room Treehouses

Join Liz Knight on a foraging course