Enjoy a taste of the Countryside
What could be a better way to spend a Saturday than tramping round a farm, sampling the delights of local food, enjoying cookery, crafts and games with the children or having a go at milking Annabelle the cut-out cow?
All these activities and more are being staged as part of British Food Fortnight at Sandra and Anthony Herbert's Farm, Food and Fun Day at their Whetstone Pastures Farm, at Whetstone, just south of Leicester*. The farm will be open on Saturday 30 September from 10.00am till 4.00pm and for just £2.00 per car, you can enjoy a proper taste (and smell, perhaps) of the countryside.
"Our theme this year is "celebration, education and inspiration," says Sandra Herbert. "We hope that families will come along and enjoy a day in the open air with good food and great activities to get involved in.
"This is the third year we've opened the farm gate for British Food Fortnight; each event is getting bigger and better. There's an element of thanksgiving in the day, too, as we hold a family harvest celebration in our traditional barn, so everyone can have a good sing and say thank you for our wonderful food and countryside."
Amongst the stands at the farm, food and fun day will be local food producers providing tasters and selling their wares. Local food, courtesy of Home Farm, Nanpantan, will also be available to buy for lunch and local farm businesses, such as Picks Organic Farm Shop (everything you could think of and beautifully displayed), Julia Hawley of Brentingby Meadows with her meat box scheme, Gems cakes, Sandra Herbert's own home-made jam, eggs from Evergreen Farm at Kilworth and lots more to enjoy!
Lancashire farmer and raconteur Johnny Ball and NFU's National Food and Farming Roadshow will be there with the good-natured cut-out cow Annabelle, who will stand all day and be milked by children young and old, without any fuss. You can find out more about the Friendly Farm Club and collect a free recipe book, too. Johnny will also have a wealth of stories to tell.
From fluffy chicks to cuddle to tasty things to cook, there are lots of activities to keep everyone busy. Bobbie Harvey from FACE (Farming and Countryside Education) will have games to play and things to make with all sorts of natural materials, and there'll be a kids' cookery club and bakery providing a hands-on foodie experience.
At 2.30pm, those who wish can join the harvest thanksgiving in the Herberts' traditional barn, lead by Jill Hopkinson of the Arthur Rank Centre at the National Agriculture Centre, Warwickshire.
Sandra Herbert added: "We want everyone who comes to Whetstone Pastures Farm to enjoy their day out, but to take away something, too: not just some of our great local food, but a little inspiration and a hand full of enjoyment and understanding of where our food comes from and how farmers care for the countryside."
