Good morning,
I started this mailing list in November 2017, sending my first email to 162 of you about that year’s apple swap - if you received that initial email and are still with us, hats off to you. Signups started picking up in the first lockdown when we set up our online shop, and lots of you lovely folk joined to see when we had restocked with produce. Today we email 2,624 glorious inboxes almost every week. Welcome to our new friends and thank you to our enduring ones.
Trenchmore Farm was set up in 2012 by both my parents - Andrew & Joanne, and my brother Oscar joined in 2015. I joined in 2017, then Mum & Oscar moved on to pastures new - unrelated, they assure me. Nev joined in 2019 and the three of us have been running the farm together for the past 4 years.
We set out to grow the best tasting food for local restaurants & retailers, whilst keeping welfare, ethics and the environment very much in mind. Over the last few years, our priorities have remained intact but we’ve learned plenty more about regenerative agriculture and have been working to implement its principles into our land management & animal husbandry.
We’ve also moved away from only working with the trade, and now fling open our farm gates every Saturday and welcome everyone to pop in to have a look at what we’re doing, and enjoy a pint of cider or something to eat.
We’re constantly flexing to the changing context in which we’re farming and running a small business - cost of living crisis, inflation, unpredictable weather, local abattoirs closing, losing restaurants and new ones coming along, the loss of farming subsidies and trying to navigate its proposed replacement. We had 7 farm & food inspections last year, and a harrowing trailer incident a few months ago. We’ve lost animals without clear reason, and lost animals due to our own shortcomings.
Past all of this, all three of us feel incredibly passionate about producing good food in our little patch of Sussex - tasty, ethical food for local people, at a price that enables us to keep going.
We’re trying new things with more yard events, a rain harvesting system for the cattle troughs, dreams of a small farm butchery and maybe even a campsite at some point - diversification baby! And we’re sticking with some of the tried & tested things that make Trenchmore what it is - this year’s apple swap is only a couple of months away, we still pick & press our apples by hand and we still look after our animals as best we can.
All of this is possible because of the support you show us when you order online, eat our produce in a restaurant or simply mention this newsletter to your neighbour in case they might be interested in hearing from a Sussex farm just trying its best.
Plus all the lovely google reviews you have left us, it really makes a difference.
So thank you, a big cin cin to you. And please do pop in one Saturday soon, we’d love to see you. We’re serving wagyu hot dogs from midday tomorrow if that tickles your fancy.
The Trenchmore Table
Last week’s Friday evening supper was magical. A three course meal cooked by Sam and enjoyed in the roundhouse barn by candlelight.
We’re taking bookings for our next supper and would love for you to join us.
Apologies my button didn’t work last week - this time it should do the trick.
Talking of newsletters….
Here’s a couple of my favourites:
Wicked Leeks from Riverford - for the name and thoughtful farm news
Anna Jones’ weekly email - for the recipes and food photography
Red Hand Files by Nick Cave - for Nick Cave