OUR STORY

Since I was a boy visiting my grandparents’ mixed organic farm in Kenya, I have been fascinated by farms, farmers, the food they produce and how it gets to the people who eat and drink it. As a university student in Edinburgh, where Pip and I met, we learned about the growing injustice and ecological devastation of the industrial farming approach which is sweeping the world, and became passionate advocates of the small-scale, usually organic, traditional farm. We devoured Wendell Berry’s books and delighted in E.F. Schumacher’s ‘Small is Beautiful’. In London, I worked for a small charity which brings Hope into the lives of people struggling with poverty by building relationships, while Pip did a Masters looking in depth at the problems in our food economy. During this time, I also set up a community food growing project on a council estate which aimed to re-build the relationship between people in the heart of the city and the food they ate.

When Pip and I lived in Bristol, we were keen to be part of the exciting food initiatives going on there and play a part in transforming the food economy by helping city-dwellers avoid the pernicious reach of powerful supermarkets, while simultaneously supporting local farmers.  We worked with the inspiring folk at Stream Farm to help build a route to market for their produce in Bristol, and then farmed there as share-farmers for a couple of years - we learned a tremendous amount!

We founded Jubilee Food Hub back in Bristol, with a small cafe, community shop and food deliveries across the city. It was a rewarding way to play our part in building the relationships between farmers, bakers, cheesemakers, coffee roasters, etc and the people who eat or drink their delicious produce. We tried to find ways to involve our children in the business too, which was fun!

Then we moved to Devon! And after a couple of years on the hunt for some land to call home, we have now established ourselves here at North Down Farm, near Yeoford. Our 8 acre organic farm is now home to our rare-breed pigs, pasture-raised chickens and sheep, not to mention the most fantastic traditional apple orchard!

The produce from the farm supplies Jubilee Food Hub, alongside the finest food and drink from other organic and regenerative producers we know and trust.