Farming Archives - Page 7 of 7

I genuinely thought that this month I would be writing to report that we eventually caught up with planting all the wheat, and everything looks better than expected. However that didn’t happen as we are no further ahead than a month ago, so without further ado; the weather, slugs, crop planting and soil conditions are all banned subjects as we move towards Christmas, Keeping Warm for Winter.

Winter jobs are now well underway, which has started with some hedge laying. It is ideal to have a variety of different sizes, shapes, and ages of hedges to give habitat variety on the farm. Over the years we have planted several hedgerows, which are cut every two to three years with a tractor mounted machine to create a dense hedgerow. With some of the older hedges, if they are left for many years, eventually they become very big and lanky, requiring more extreme measures, as is the case with the hedge we are laying this year. It has become full of weedy trees rather than dense hedgerow, so we are cutting and removing many of the trees, whilst leaving a few healthy ones to enhance the landscape. Then the remaining understory of Quick and Blackthorn bushes are cut part way through at the base, before being pulled down and laid horizontally along the hedge line. These laid plants will sprout new growth in the spring. Once the hedge is laid, we will ‘gap up’ any spaces with newly planted hedging plants. The end result being a lovely stock proof hedge in a couple of year’s time that will be fit for another hundred years, as well as some great logs to keep us warm in the winter.

As well as work on the farm, I have been travelling around the country to various events. Of note, I spent an excellent day at the LEAF President’s event at HSBC headquarters in London, where we had some fascinating speakers on how food production is going to feed 9 billion people over the next 30 years in a manner that will look after the planet at the same time. Then there was breakfast with the Chief Economist of the Bank of England, as he travels the country gauging the pulse of the economy to help formulate future policy. A trip to a factory in Yorkshire to inspect my latest machine being built to filter oil; this was a surprise as they have built a major part of it incorrectly and unless they are planning for gravity to go up a hill, they will have to quickly rectify the issue before I take delivery of it.

In Farrington Oils, my Production Manager Rob has now retired after nearly five years with us. His passion meant that he never missed a customer order, and he made sure every bottle of oil produced was top quality. We wish Rob well in his retirement, and welcome Martin to the team, to take us forward over the next chapter in the Farrington Oils story.

The guys are flat out at the moment with oil production and orders as everyone is looking to buy our products ready for Christmas, whether it is to roast Christmas spuds or to buy a gift bag for a friend. Of course without our customers over the years we would not have a business, so from all of us here, a big thank-you to all of you who continue to support us. Have a lovely Christmas.

www.leafmarque.com

Farming Diary

From LEAF Demonstration Farmer Duncan Farrington

Farrington’s Mellow Yellow Popularity Grows continuously.

Thanks to the increasing popularity of our Farrington’s Mellow Yellow range of rapeseed oil, dressings, and mayonnaises, we are no longer able to grow all the rapeseed we need at Bottom Farm. For some months of the year, we will need to source seed from outside farms to supplement our own.

Over the last few months, I have been looking to work with other LEAF Marque growers of Rapeseed, to supply top quality seed. I am delighted to have teamed up with Arden Farms based at Owmby-by-Spital near Market Rasen in Lincolnshire. Arden farms grow a range of crops, including wheat, barley, oilseed rape, and onions. They also take much pride in their herd of red deer, which being in the heart of the Lincolnshire Wolds, the land is ideally suited to deer giving them a natural diet and cover. Interestingly, venison contains less than half the fat of beef, pork, and lamb. This combined with the fact that it is a very tender and nutritious meat, supports venison in becoming increasingly popular with consumers.

We at Farrington’s are very excited and look forward to working closely with Arden Farms, who like us strive to farm their land in a way that is sympathetic to the environment in order to create a healthy and diverse range of food. To read more about Arden Farms, visit their website www.ardenfarms.co.uk

As you know we are huge supporters of LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming), and what is stands for. They are a small organisation that kicks well above its weight. It was the first farming organisation to recognise that good, sustainable and profitable farming systems can work in harmony with sustainable environmental and conservation goals. In doing so they have managed to bring farmers, consumers, conservation bodies and even politicians all along for the experience. A small part of Duncan’s commitment is his role as a LEAF Marque demonstration farm, and he regularly hosts farm tours and talks about the farming methods he follows.

Brits are swapping from olive oil and more traditional cooking oils to cold-pressed rapeseed oil in a bit to reduce their intake of saturated fat while also supporting British produce. Rapeseed oil is winning over Brits’ hearts.
Waitrose reports that British rapeseed is the fastest growing oil in its entire range.
Sales of rapeseed oil are up 26 per cent year on year – in volume. In comparison, olive oils are up 1.6 per cent.
Waitrose grocery buyer Carla Smith says, “Rapeseed oil is rising in popularity for two reasons.
“Rapeseed oil is a healthier choice. It has half the saturated fat of olive oil and contains a good balance of omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. We expect its popularity to increase further as consumers are kick-starting the new year with healthy diets.
“All of our cold-pressed rapeseed suppliers are British, so opting for rapeseed oil also appeals to consumers wanting to support British farmers.”
Rapeseed oil is ideal for roasting, stir-fries, marinades and dressings.
Waitrose stock several brands of Rapeseed oil including Farrington’s, Goldenfields and Hillfarm.
The popularity of rapeseed oil has also been influenced by restaurants. The new Jamie Oliver restaurant, Union Jacks, is using Farrington’s rapeseed oil instead of olive oil, while Rivington Bar and Grill has pledged to use just British rapeseed oil.

For product samples and further information please contact Amanda French at ZPR on 020 7896 3404, or email amanda@z-pr.com

www.z-pr.com

Great news! Following filming in May, Duncan and Farrington Oils are to be featured on Thursday 25 June at 7.00pm on The BBC one show with Plantswoman and Horticulturist Christine Walkden .

We are obviously thrilled to have this prime time exposure and anticipate a boost to sales so do make sure you have plenty of Mellow Yellow, our 3 delicious dressings and our brand new mayonnaise in stock!

We have our very own Delia, or should it be Nigella here at Farrington Oils, as Eli now writes a bi-monthly column in Country Kitchen magazine (www.countrykitchenmag.com). Entitled ‘Farmer’s Diary’, Eli writes about life on the farm, and gives recipes using Mellow Yellow of course. The magazine is a popular national food magazine that we are very proud to be associated with, so if you have a chance please check out Eli,s new column.

Show Time….

Thank-you to those of you who dropped in on Duncan, at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair in London, we had a fantastic show, meeting existing and new customers keen to stock Mellow Yellow. Eli also had success in Dublin at SHOP08 to increase our customers there, we hope to extend our wholesale distribution there shortly as a result. Now we look forward to the consumer shows leading up to Christmas, helping heighten awareness of our brand.

Roasted Vegetables….

With the winter months approaching, an excellent tip to give your customers is to try Mellow Yellow Rapeseed Oil to roast winter vegetables. The subtle nutty taste is fantastic with parsnips, butternut squash, carrots and more, making a great way to serve vegetables.

Further Information

For orders and further information, please do not hesitate to call us on 01933 622809; email info@farrington-oils.co.uk ; or one of our brilliant wholesale suppliers, who are always happy to hear from you:

Essential Trading Co-op; F A Wyatt & Co Ltd.(Ireland); Hider Food Imports; Goodness Foods; Michael Bance (Leicestershire), Richards Catering Supplies (Cornwall), T & J Fine Foods (Lincolnshire).

Summer has finally arrived, the harvest is in full swing and we are busier than ever on Bottom Farm! Welcome to our summer newsletter, where we are in the press, on the box and more…..

In the Press…

We hosted a very successful press day in May, where, in spite of the rain, we enjoyed Mellow Yellow drizzled barbequed asparagus cooked for us by Adam Gray (Head Chef at Rhodes Twenty Four in London). This has resulted in some excellent coverage in magazines such as Delicious, Countryfile and Good Housekeeping.

On the Box…

ITV viewers in the Anglia region will be able to catch us on “Country Lives” on Friday 22 August at 8pm and in the Meridian region on Sunday 31^st August at 6pm to see Duncan give a tour of the farm and some background on Farrington Oils Ltd.

Show Time…. We continue to show at both the trade and retail fairs and we have really noticed in the retail shows how familiar people are with Mellow Yellow as a brand and how aware they are of the many health benefits of cold-pressed rapeseed oil – many have stopped using olive oil in favour of Mellow Yellow.

Thank you to those of you who dropped in on Duncan at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair in Harrogate in June. We also had a good show at the CLA Game Fair in July at Blenheim, where this time the sun shone as it should!

Award winning Dressings!

The dressings have been flying off the shelves. Although people do associate them with salads and warmer weather, it is well worth remembering that they are also delicious with steamed veg, as well as smoked fish and cheeses.

SALSA… No, thankfully we haven’t all taken up latin-american dancing but we are very pleased to have attained our SALSA (Safe And Local Supplier Approval) accreditation which means that you can be confident in the high standards to which our oil and dressings are produced.

Further Information

Essential Trading Co-op; F.A.Wyatt & Co Ltd.(Ireland); Hider Food Imports; Goodness Foods; Michael Bance (Leicestershire), Richards Catering Supplies (Cornwall), T & J Fine Foods (Stamford).

In the headlines again…

Hold the front page! We’ll be featured in the spring / early summer issues of some top notch magazines.

Kiwi chef Peter Gordon (of The Providores and Tapa Room in London) is writing a piece to appear in the June edition of Delicious magazine. He visited us during harvest and cooked a fabulous and healthy meal of mussels, a hot salad, and blueberry muffins in our kitchen. Naturally, he used Mellow Yellow for every course.

Other magazines will include House & Garden Magazine and BBC Good Food Magazine.

Watch us on…

We are filming again soon, to appear in a new series of Country Lives. This series will be broadcast in the Anglia and Meridian areas, and although no date is confirmed yet, it should be later in the spring.

Award winning Dressings!

The dressings are selling well. With all this press coverage and (we hope) good weather just around the corner, perhaps it would be a good time to make sure you’re well stocked.

Mellow Yellow in the Emerald Isle.

Mellow Yellow has been available in a few outlets for a couple of years. Now following a recent visit, and forthcoming press coverage, the number of Irish customers is increasing. Duncan will attend a trade show in Dublin later this year, to build on this success.

Further Information

The Cress Company (Scotland); Essential Trading Co-op; F.A.Wyatt & Co Ltd.(Ireland); Hider Food Imports; Goodness Foods; Michael Bance (Leicestershire); Olives et Al.