Chinese Whispers

Those of you keeping an eye on what we were up to in Wales would have seen that we went to the Plough Inn in St Asaph to hold a Pub Social. To quote us in our itinerary, “apparently this pub is a farmer’s hotspot”. Err…it wasn’t…far from it, in fact! We’re not sure how… Continue reading Chinese Whispers

Green Shoots North Wales: Shooting for Conservation

On Saturday, we spent a very interesting day with Alex Hatton from the BASC initiative, Green Shoots North Wales, to find out what their aim was and what work was being done. Background to BASC and the Green Shoots Initiative BASC (British Association for Shooting and Conservation) is the largest and oldest shooting association in… Continue reading Green Shoots North Wales: Shooting for Conservation

One Man and Lots of Dogs

Like many of the people we have met on this journey, Aled Owen is busy doing a lot of things but, when asked, he would say that first and foremost he is a farmer. However, he is most well known for being a master in the art of sheepdog handling and training and that’s how… Continue reading One Man and Lots of Dogs

Gourmet Sea Salt Making

We’ve been thinking recently about how people’s connection to the land can drive their entrepreneurial spirit and there is no clearer example of this than the story of David and Alison Lea-Wilson, founders of the Anglesey Sea Salt Company. The pair have spent decades on or around the coastline of the Menai Strait, which separates… Continue reading Gourmet Sea Salt Making

Welsh Farm Organics

Looking into rural businesses on this trip, one thing that has really stood out is the lengths to which some people go in order to create employment for themselves in a part of the world they love; be that the countryside in general, a particular region, or the very farm they grew up on. As… Continue reading Welsh Farm Organics

Pub Quiz and ‘Taste of Game’ Night at the Picton Inn

When we approached Gordon Miller, the landlord of the Picton Inn in Clarbeston Road, Pembrokeshire, about doing a Muddy Pub Quiz night, he suggested that we tied it in with the BASC ‘Taste of Game Week’ (10th – 17th November) and offered to put on a number of game dishes to try for free. We… Continue reading Pub Quiz and ‘Taste of Game’ Night at the Picton Inn

Frizbee Golf in Pembrokeshire

One of the things we have been interested in on this tour is weird and wonderful farm diversification projects so, when we heard about ‘frizbee golf’ on a farm in Pembrokeshire, we had to take a look. Richard and Dawn Lewis have been farming (beef, dairy and arable) at Slebech, near Haverfordwest, for nearly twenty… Continue reading Frizbee Golf in Pembrokeshire

The Bathurst Arms

Here’s a story that made us laugh while we were eavesdropping in the Bathurst Arms, near Cirencester, where we held one of our Pub Socials. The pub has just been awarded 2008 GOOD PUB GUIDE Gloucestershire Dining Pub of the Year and whilst we were there all the regulars were congratulating James, the landlord. It… Continue reading The Bathurst Arms

Muddy Wellies Ale at the RAC

When we were invited by Simon Corpe, the Chairman of Royal Agricultural College Entrepreneurs (RACE), to come to the college and have a taste of their new student-branded beer we couldn’t refuse…one, because we were intrigued to know what it would taste like, two, because much of this trip has been focussed on rural entrepreneurs… Continue reading Muddy Wellies Ale at the RAC