Author: Martin Beard

  • Pork Update

    Well, our first pigs went away a week ago. We drove them ourselves, really early in the morning. If I said it was the easiest of days, it would be a lie, but every pig keeper (and every livestock farmer) goes through the same emotions, however hard they may appear on the outside. You put…

  • Busy Day at Forfar!

    Busy Day at Forfar!

    The Food Life Market and Moveable Feast at the Strathmore Hall in Forfar was very, very busy! Congratulations have to go to the organising team, because it was stunning to see so many interested people coming along to talk about food, enjoy eating local food, supporting small producers and farmers and generally having a good…

  • A Taste of Angus

    A Taste of Angus

    On the 26th March 2017, we will be joining with a host of other food related businesses in Angus for the Food Life Market & Moveable Feast at the Strathmore Hall in Forfar. The event is part of the Taste of Angus Festival, and is being co-ordinated by “The Food Life” – a group of…

  • Angus sunrises and sunsets

    Angus sunrises and sunsets

    Without doubt, one of the highlights of living in this beautiful part of the world are the stunning sunrises and sunsets that we get. I cannot begin to explain the extraordinary beauty of the sky and the shadows as the day begins or ends, but Spring and Autumn seem to bring the most amazing colours…

  • The importance of being..an earnest smallholder

    The importance of being..an earnest smallholder

    Somewhere between a full time farmer with lots of land and a backyard poultry keeper lies the mysterious breed known as “Smallholders”. We are part of the team behind the Scottish Smallholder Festival, and when the team were trying to write the business plan for the event, we defined a smallholder as: “typically having less…

  • How we chose our Pigs!

    How we chose our Pigs!

    When we first looked at smallholding, we knew we wanted pigs. In fact, we were very specific – we wanted Oxford Sandy and Black Pigs. We first saw the breed twenty five years ago at the late and much lamented Royal Show at the Stoneleigh showground. For those who did not see it, the ‘Royal’…