Newsletter 9th June 2022

Good evening,

We have direct drilled a mixed species crop into one of our fields this week. We sowed it last autumn with a similar mix but it didn’t establish well - in part because the soil isn’t healthy thanks to years of conventional farming but also because we have a bit of an issue with black-grass.

Black-grass is an annual grass that grows very well but doesn’t yield much quality grub for our cattle. It is also a nightmare for arable farmers because it sheds a large amount of seed before harvest and outcompetes their crops for soil and sun. It is tricky to get under control as it’s developing a resistance to herbicides, requiring farmers to spray more intensely and more frequently which is expensive and destroys soil life and biodiversity in the field.

It has been a trial for us since we took on this land in 2012 - the damp clay soils which have previously been tilled, sprayed and overworked are a perfect breeding ground and it has made it unviable for us to organically grow arable in most of our fields. However, we can grow grass very well and saw an opportunity after the black-grass set seed especially early this spring. We mowed the black-grass twice in quick succession before its seed was fertile, which will have reduced its numbers considerably.

We’ve now sown our delicious and nutritious cocktail of other grasses and legumes and hope they have a good chance of establishing before the black-grass comes back.

Both flocks are laying well so we have plenty of eggs, beef & cider for Saturday.

Join us in the yard from 1-4pm for a drink and to talk about (and devour) High Weald Dairy cheese. It’s free to attend and we have cheese platters available to pre-order if you fancy joining us for a bite to eat.

pre-order here

For anyone who didn’t catch it on Monday morning, Sarah Langford, Claire Ratinon and George Monbiot started our weeks with a debate about farming and its impact on the environment on R4.

It’s a complicated conversation with many factors in play - George is a champion for biodiversity who sees farming as a major environmental culprit whereas Sarah & Claire talk about the winder context of animal welfare, human health, carbon capture in the soil and a sense of community that farming can provide. It’s certainly worth a listen.

And Sarah has written a second book - Rooted: Stories of Life, Land & a Farming Revolution. She will be coming to Trenchmore to discuss her book with Andrew and an audience on 20th August. We’re serving wagyu burgers & cider 1-4pm so mark it in your diaries.

Rooted will be available to order through our website once it is out in July.

Start The Week - a revolution in food & farming

Trenchmore Farm
Burnt House Lane
Cowfold
Sussex RH13 8DG

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Newsletter 2nd June 2022

Good afternoon,

I’ll keep it very short this week as I’m sure you’re all busy enjoying the long weekend. We’re well stocked with beef, cider & eggs to keep your weekend festivities topped up with well grown good food.

Join us in the yard this Saturday from 11am - 4pm for a drink or to pick up farm produce.

We hope you enjoy the extra days and jubilant celebrations.

Rachel + Andrew

online shop

High Weald Dairy

We have High Weald in the yard on Saturday 11th June to talk to us about their dairy, sell their delicious wares and serve up cheese grazing platters to enjoy.

It’s free to come along and join the cheese conversation, and we are taking pre-orders for the cheese platters should you fancy staying for lunch.

Steve will be with us from 1-4pm.

Newsletter 25th May 2022

Good afternoon,

I wanted to let you know about a couple of events coming up in the yard that I’m really excited about. We are starting a series to celebrate the bounty of good things that our lovely local patch produces, and are kicking things off on June 11th with the award-winning High Weald Dairy.

The idea behind the series is straightforward - we want to give a space for other producers to show off their exceptional wares and for our discerning customers to enjoy them. Each producer will have time to tell us about their business so we get to learn about the food and the passion behind it, with the hope these conversations will foster stronger connections between makers and tasters.

And, of course, it won’t be all chat. We will be eating the fruits of our producer’s labour. Be that tasting samples, enjoying grazing platters or devouring local delights cooked over fire in the yard - we hope we all leave with a little less room in our bellies and a little more love for the food we eat and the people who make it.

The lovely folk at High Weald have been making cheese since the 80’s and are who we get to thank for Brighton Blue, which won the Super Gold at the World Cheese Awards in 2018.

We will be serving grazing platters with a selection of High Weald cheeses, cured meats and delicious nibbles on 11th June, whilst Steve talks to us about the High Weald dairy business.

book here

Shepherd Rosie Martin & Chef Sam Lambert are joining forces on Saturday 11th July.

Rosie will be talking to us about her Nuthurst flock whilst Sam cooks asado style over flames, serving up Nuthurst Lamb, crispy tatties, salad & pickles in a wrap.

book here

We have lots of lovely Trenchmore Beef available to collect this weekend. Have a look at what you fancy below, or pop over to see Clare in the yard 11am - 4pm tomorrow.

online shop

Newsletter 19th May 202

Good afternoon,

I’m sat at my desk which looks out over the cider orchard and I can see some ruffled brown feathers in the long grass. The original flock of 82 hens weren’t quite sure about the arrival of 150 16-week old pullets yesterday, without notice or invitation. You can see one sassy bird running over to have a word with the manager about it below.

We only have one hen house and the new girls won’t start laying for a few weeks so to keep up supply we wanted to have an overlap, and decided adding a larger flock to the original one would provide safety in numbers. We optimistically hoped the old hens might befriend the new arrivals, and teach them important things like where to roost when the sun sets and where to lay their eggs when the time comes.

Alas, our best laid plans went awry and there seems to be a little tension between the groups, and Andrew, Nev & Oscar spent yesterday evening chasing the flighty pullets and putting them into the hen house, one by one. Things should settle over the next few days as they figure out the pecking order, but a few feathers are sure to be ruffled in the meantime.

We are well stocked with beef this week - rump joints, tomahawks & brisket and are all available to pick up on Saturday. Have a look at the website to see what you fancy.

Newsletter 12th May 2022

Good afternoon,

Trenchmore burgers are pretty special. We have earned our bragging rights with a masterpiece of perfectly pressed patties made with succulent and flavourful minced beef.

Whether it has been grilled by 3Bros in the yard, served in one of your local pubs or barbecued at home, we regularly hear that there is something quite different about the flavour and juiciness of our grass-fed Sussex Wagyu burgers.

We served 150 burgers at our last yard pop-up, and it is always a pleasure to watch every mouthful being relished. I’m sure being on our farm, knowing how well we look after our animals and washing it down with a pint of Silly Moo adds to the eating experience, but I know that even when I’ve (shamefully) baked myself a Trenchmore burger for dinner because I didn’t have the energy to grill it, it was still remarkably juicy and delicious. I don’t recommend this as a cooking method unless it is an emergency, but it does do the trick.

We didn’t start farming with the foresight that burgers would be a big part of our business but they have turned into a really important way for us to manage our carcass balance and definitely one of the products we are best known and loved for. So, we are leaning into it and look forward to enjoying a summer of burgers with you.

burgers & steaks to cook at home

To get your fix this week, come and find us serving Silly Moo Cider & 3Bros wagyu burgers at the New House Farm Shop party tomorrow.

The boys are back grilling in the yard at Trenchmore on 18th June and 20th August, and we will be serving burgers & cider at Cowfest on 2nd July and Worthing Food & Drink Festival in September.

You can also find Trenchmore burgers at restaurants and pubs across Sussex, including The Grand, Cleveland Arms & Hove Place in Brighton, The Sloop in Haywards Heath, the Crabtree in Horsham, Q Leisure & Wickwoods in Hassocks and The Bell Inn Ticehurst.

Newsletter 5th May 2022

Good afternoon,

We have good news. Flock-down has been lifted after 6 long months of keeping our girls housed inside.

We have seen the largest avian flu breakout with over 100 cases across the country since October (none near Cowfold as far as I’m aware), but it’s tricky to reconcile the risk of spread against the ethics of keeping birds inside for all these months. We’re all undoubtedly familiar with that predicament.

Predictions suggest things are going to get worse as wild bird migration patterns are forced to change because of global warming, and we expect to have to house our hens again this winter. If the flock-down period gets longer each year, it will make us question whether it’s viable to have a free range pastured poultry business in the years to come. But if the country looses it’s small-scale and ethical egg farms, we will be left with the not so appealing full-time barn eggs.

Before it comes to that, we have 150 new laying birds arriving this month. I have found retirement homes for about half our current flock but still have plenty available for anyone who is interested. We’re asking for a £5 donation for each bird to go to a Ukrainian relief fund.

Nev & I towed the mobile hen house into the orchard yesterday morning and they fell over each other to get out of the door as soon as it was opened. Fresh air, sweet spring grass and plenty of pecking and scratching to do. Thank flock for that.

This Saturday…

Sourdough pizza (no need to pre-book), live music from Brighton folk band Sistie Moose, local beers and delicious cider from the Moo Tap, served in the sunshine 12-4pm.

Plus, plenty of fresh and frozen beef, happy eggs & delicious cider available online to pre-order and collect this weekend.

online shop

Newsletter 20th April 2022

Good afternoon,

I hope you all enjoyed a little springtime magic last weekend.

We’re butchering a Sussex Wagyu carcass every week at the moment. Each animal weighs around 400kg after slaughter, and yields about 250kg of meat - all of which we sell to local restaurants, through the online shop and in the yard on Saturdays. The rest is fat & bone, which is turned into dripping & stock.

Only about 50kg of the meat is steak. The rest contributes to roasting joints, braising cuts, mince and offal.

When Fergus Henderson refers to nose-to-tail eating, he isn’t simply suggesting we relentlessly look for new ways to use up the blood & guts of an animal. Being a resourceful cook is a big part of it, but he is talking about a holistic way of eating and being in the world. It’s using the best produce available at the time, it’s a way of cooking to showcase the fine ingredients we have and it focuses on creating food which ultimately we really enjoy eating.

The attitude that our world can produce a limitless supply of what we want is changing. For the health of the planet, our bodies and our livestock, we’re returning to a more resourceful way of living - consuming less but consuming better quality. Turning a chicken into a Sunday roast and then meals for the week, frying our potatoes in dripping rather than refined oils and eating the broccoli stalks and cauliflower leaves. Small ways to reduce our individual demands on the earth.

One of my Grandad’s favourite things to eat was calves liver on toast, but it’s not something I grew up eating at home or in restaurants. Thanks to chefs like Henderson, offal is finding its way back onto our plates. If you’ve been lucky enough to eat at St John, you will likely have tried his popular bone marrow dish and know that a good cook can turn supposedly less desirable cuts into mouthfuls that rival a perfectly cooked steak.

If you’re interested in trying something a bit different, we have ox heart, liver, kidney, tail, cheek and tongue available to pick up on Saturday. Plus tomahawks, burgers, eggs & cider - something for everyone.

Chef Sam Lambert is treating us to slow cooked Trenchmore tongue tacos this weekend. Have a look at his menu and pre-book your lunch.

Slam Tacos

Newsletter 14th April 2022

Good evening,

With the fine weather we’ve been busy spreading farmyard muck on our fields and tinkering with our compost tea this week.

We have almost finished the spring calving and hope to move everyone outside over the next week or so. After putting the first couple of groups out in March, we held the rest back because the grass growth has been slow thanks to the chilly nights. We don’t want to risk overgrazing before things have even really begun. Our apple trees have not yet broken bud either, which is a good reminder to exercise some patience.

Nuthurst lambing is very much underway - Rosie has had 90 newborns so far and there are still 26 to go. Hanging out with day-old lambs is undoubtedly the most glorious of April activities.

To celebrate the Easter weekend, Rosie has processed a couple of last year’s lambs for us and we have lamb boxes available to pick up this weekend. If you’d like to eat locally grown, grass fed and lovingly looked after meat, plus support a young female farmer then you can order a Nuthurst box via our website and be sure of an utterly delicious Easter weekend. We also have Sussex Wagyu beef available to collect on Saturday. The Moo Tap will be open from 11-4pm.

lamb box

Dates for your diary

23rd April 1pm-4pm - SLAM Tacos in the yard at Trenchmore

Drool over Sam’s menu here

…

30th April 9am-2pm - Danefold Country Market

Find Silly Moo Cider on Clare’s Chillies stall

…

7th May 1pm-4pm - pallet furniture making workshop in the yard at Trenchmore (pre-book here)

SoPi Pizza & live music from Sistie Moose

…

14th May 10am-5pm - New House Farm Shop 10th Anniversary

3Bros burgers, Silly Moo Cider, other local suppliers & live entertainment

Newsletter 7th April 2022

Good evening,

We’re looking for retirement homes for our 82 hens. They moved onto the farm last spring and have spent most of the year roaming, scratching and basking in our orchard. It’s a sweet life for a bird.

We dutifully moved them indoors late last year to help slow the breakout of avian flu. The new digs don’t quite compare to the free roaming they were used to, but we do our best to keep them entertained - a twig & twine swing, stale bread snacks donated by sympathetic bakeries and regular drop-ins to catch up on the hen house gossip whilst having our feet pecked. It’s not been too bad and we’re hoping flock-down restrictions will be lifted over the next few weeks.

They turn veg scraps into eggs with rich orange yolks, they are entertaining company and they poop fertiliser - I think this makes them preferable to most human housemates I’ve had. Their production is dropping off but they have a few more years of egg laying in them and would make superb garden lodgers if you have the appetite for it.

We have a batch of young birds landing in the yard in a few weeks so let us know if you might be interested in rehoming any of our old girls. We will be charging £5 / bird and donating all of this to a Ukrainian relief fund.

Pictures taken by Julia Claxton for BITE Sussex in the yard on Saturday.

The next Trenchmore yard party is on 23rd April where SLAM Tacos will be filling our bellies and local folk classics cover band, Poni Mitchell (!!) will be filling our ears. We look forward to seeing some of you there.

Newsletter 31st March 2022

Good afternoon,

What a day - in the last few hours we have had snow, hailstones, branch breaking gusts and now as I write, total calm with the occasional cloud against a bonny blue sky. March is going out with a bang.

And tomorrow is April, which means lambing at Nuthurst Farm is due to start any day. Rosie is planning to process some boxes for Easter so please get in touch if you’d like to order or for more info.

We are really looking forward to seeing so many of you in the yard on Saturday. The burgers are selling very quickly so we have pulled out the big guns and will also be joined by SoPi Pizza, making sure all appetites are met this week.

Combining our farm, our produce and the work of local and exceptional growers, chefs, brewers, musicians, blenders & distillers is making for a very exciting Saturday and we’re pleased that the response has been so enthusiastic. Please remember that we are a working farm with heavy machinery, open fire pits and cows with calves, and your children and dogs are your responsibility.

The farm tour is due to start at 2pm - please bring appropriate footwear for walking and sufficient layers for an afternoon outside in these temperamental climes. There will be lots of you on the tour and we hope you enjoy an amble up to see our cows in the fields.

The shop is open from 11am, with food and music from 1pm.

online shop

In the yard on Saturday…

We are delighted to have the 2021 Golden Fork Great Taste Award winner Slake Gin join us this weekend. Only one food or drink producer from each area of the UK is awarded this each year, which makes it a huge triumph. Tom will be sampling and selling his unique and tasty tipples on Saturday and we can’t wait to try his infamous Sussex Dry Gin.

Lilian's London is a floristry business run by Charlotte. She is committed to providing sustainable & ethical flowers and works with small scale flower farmers in and around London to provide flowers that are truly seasonal and utterly beautiful.

Charlotte says “We like to create wild, free and natural designs that bring the outdoors in. We embrace imperfections and create in a way that allows nature’s beauty to do all the talking.”

We are looking forward to seeing what April’s garden haul will be brought to the yard on Saturday.

If you have been to the farm over the past few years, chances are you have met Clare. Not only is she our favourite Trenchmore shop wing-woman, but she is also mother of chillies.

Clare’s Chillies was set up last year after cultivating a passion for growing, cooking with and eating different varieties of the hot and flavourful fruits over the past 30 years. She grows and processes everything at home (which is less than a stone’s throw from the farm) and will be sampling her spicy and delicious wares in the yard this Saturday.

MDTea was launched in Brighton by Helen in 2009 as an antidote to the bland blends and insipid infusions that were available on the market.

Helen now offers a range of 30 world class & award winning infusions and will be serving hot drinks to enjoy in the yard, and selling loose tea leaves to take home.

MDTea use only the best quality teas, blended with the best of botanicals sourced from across the globe to offer a truly sensational sip.

Newsletter 24th March 2022

Good morning,

We’ve moved our first group of cattle out this week. They jostled out of the yard and having been stretching their legs and basking in the sunlight ever since. It really is a sign that spring is here.

There is nothing better than the first barbecue of the year and this weekend feels like the perfect time to fire things up. You will be pleased to know we are well stocked with Sussex Wagyu steaks & burgers.

The farm gates will be open and we will be sipping cider in the sunshine from 11am until 4pm on Saturday. There is an abundance of wild garlic growing along the farm drive, which you are more than welcome to help yourselves too. Try mixing it with mayo, chilli & lemon juice for chip dunking and burger slathering.

Trenchmore tour

We’re hosting a Trenchmore Farm & Friends open day on Saturday 2nd April. Expect live music, Wagyu burgers, local food, drink & floral market stalls and a farm tour.

If you have ever wondered how regenerative agriculture works, why the Wagyu or where to find an excellent cowboy hat, Nev is looking forward to answering your burning farming questions from 2pm.

Please pre-order a burger online to book your place on the farm tour as there is a limited capacity.

Book

Pulled Sussex Wagyu Brisket

I have made this recipe a number of times and it is yet to disappoint. It compliments a barbecue spread very well, but can be made well before. It is based on Tom Kerridge’s version but with a little less sugar and a little more cider. Naturally.

2kg Sussex Wagyu brisket

For the rub -

2 tbsp coriander seeds, 2 tbsp cumin seeds, 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds, 1 tbsp black peppercorns, 1 tbsp dark brown sugar, 1 tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 400ml beef stock

For the barbecue sauce -

250ml cider vinegar, 30g brown sugar, 125ml Silly Moo Cider, 250ml ketchup, splash Worcestershire sauce, 200ml cooking juices from the beef brisket

1. toast the coriander, cumin, mustard and peppercorns

2. once cooled, grind and mix with sugar, paprika & cayenne

3. score the beef, rub spice mix, cover and store in the fridge overnight

4. turn oven to 160C, put brisket on a wire rack inside a baking dish, pour stock into the dish and cover the whole thing tightly with foil and cook for 4-6 hours until very juicy and tender

5. turn oven off and leave to cool in the foil for 30 mins

6. for the barbecue sauce, put vinegar in a pan on a high heat and reduce by half

7. add sugar, cider, ketchup, W sauce and skimmed cooking juices from the brisket and simmer for 20 mins until thick & glossy

8. shred the brisket meat and add to the barbecue sauce for 15 mins

9. serve in a brioche bun, tortilla wrap, with rice, potatoes or just straight from the pan.

Newsletter 17th March 2022

Good afternoon,

Today it certainly feels like spring. Daffodils, wild garlic and calves are cropping up in the yard, and we welcomed our second ever set of twins last week. Everyone is doing well.

We have built a compost bioreactor. It’s not much to look at from the outside - porous black fabric with a blue lid to keep the rain out and wooden planks positioned to let the air in - but it’s a biological wonderland inside.

Following the Johnson-Su method, we’ve mixed up chicken poop, wood chips and green waste to the right proportions and are patiently letting magic happen.

The idea is to create a ‘compost tea’ to trickle onto fields after sowing seeds, where we aren’t able to use livestock or manure. This will improve soil life, carbon capture and crop yields. The results from some trials in the US suggest we can capture 20-50 times more carbon using this microbial inoculate. Poop power.

We have Sussex Wagyu chuck rib eye, denver & flat iron steaks, plus brisket & braising beef available to collect on Saturday. We are offering a free jar of wagyu dripping with every roasting joint ordered over the next couple of weeks as it’s Mothering Sunday on 27th.

We will be in the yard 11-4pm, and plan to be sipping Silly Moo in the sunshine. Join us if you can.

order online

Springtime in the yard

2nd April - Live music, local food & drink stalls and 3Bros burgers. Plus, a Trenchmore Farm tour with Nev from 2pm for those who pre-order a burger.

23rd April - SLAM Tacos in the yard. Pre-ordering now available.

7th May - Pallet furniture workshop with the Salvage Sister. Plus, the return of SoPi Pizza in the yard. Orders on the day only.

Newsletter 4th March 2022

Good afternoon,

Whilst spending a lot of the week struggling to make sense of what is going on, I have also been looking into the impact the war on Ukraine is going to have on farming and food supplies.

Being one of the largest wheat exporters in the world, there is likely to be a grain shortage now that Russia has cut off Ukrainian supplies, which will impact importing countries predominantly in north Africa and Asia where bread is a staple but the climate is too hot to grow much of their own wheat.

In order to offset the shortfall in supply, grain exporting European countries will probably use a significant amount more nitrogen fertiliser, which doubled in price last year - making our homegrown chicken & cow poop hot property. Whilst climate health would benefit from reducing artificial fertilisers, we know that turning organic overnight has an immediate reduction in grain production and so requires a slow and considered weening off period.

Much of the EU’s meat and dairy industry relies on imported feed from Ukraine so the increase in grain prices will certainly have a knock on for grain-fed animal products, too.

All things considered, it’s going to be shit-show but rising food costs seem a privileged concern in comparison to what the people of Ukraine are facing at the moment.

In more cheerful news, the farm shop is open and stocked with fresh steaks 11am-4pm tomorrow and Wagyu burgers being served by the 3Bros 1pm-4pm. If you’d like to come for lunch, I’d really recommend booking online as we have a limited quantity available. We hope to see you tomorrow.

Newsletter 25th February 2022

Good morning,

We hope you're all braced for Eunice and have plans to stay safe and cosy this weekend.

There are few Sunday activities that I look forward to more than taking time to cook a roast dinner, with plenty of wine for the gravy and the chef, and enjoying it with people that I love. The forecast this weekend is ideal roast dinner weather and we have a selection of fresh Sussex roasting joints and frozen Sussex Wagyu joints. We also have a couple of fresh Sussex fillets, for those who might fancy a beef wellington or steaks this weekend.

Clare will be looking after the shop tomorrow from 11am - midday for order collections and drop-ins.

shop

We are often asked how best to cook roasting joints and my go to suggestion is usually hot and fast. However, after a recent chat with our friend & photographer David Charbit, I learned it can be much easier to avoid overcooking with a very low and fairly slow approach. David suggests seasoning and searing the beef in a pan and then putting into a hot oven, which is immediately turned down to 55-60C for 3-5 hours, depending on the size. This will result in a crust, but perfectly pink meat throughout the joint.

That’s Sunday sorted.

Newsletter 10th January 2022

Good evening,

We love working with likeminded and local farms, which is why it is always a pleasure to offer Nuthurst Lamb boxes through the Trenchmore shop. Rosie has some lamb boxes available this month, which are now ready to pre-order. Once the butchery has been booked she will be able to confirm the date for collection.

Nuthurst Lamb

A note from Rosie…

2021 has thrown us all a lot of challenges and I definitely received a very different hand compared to 2020. A wet and warm summer gave us plentiful grass which was a welcome change from the dust bowls of the previous year and meant the ewes were content to keep feeding their lambs right through until the end of the summer. Meanwhile, I was snatching whatever hours (and tractors) I could to keep on top of the grass growth as there is an ideal height for grazing and maintaining the grassland. A nice problem to have all the same.

Now in January 2022 it's the trickiest time of year for grass. It's a balancing act getting the animals fed and constantly managing their impact on the fields as overgrazing now will hinder the Spring flush we will need for the cattle, the next crop of lambs and the hay and silage for next winter.

These are my second crop of lambs from my flock of Suffolk Mule ewes, and are now ten months old. Rearing them on grass with zero concentrate feeds and giving them a longer life means that our lamb will be some of the best tasting you will ever try.

Newsletter 28th December 2021

Good afternoon,

I love the period between Christmas and January. The days start to merge and after our morning farm chores there is time for leisurely walks, reading and the dark evenings have carved out enough space to enjoy the entire 8-hours of the Peter Jackson Beatles documentary. Dreamy stuff.

It is also helpful to have time to let the past 12 months sink in. As with most consuming occupations, oftentimes we only just manage to keep our heads above water and so the quieter winter months give space for reflection, planning and tea. Looking back on 2021, this year has been one of many firsts for us - it’s the first year we have had chickens on the farm, the first year we have balanced supplying both trade accounts and you, our online customers, and the first year we have managed to turn a humble profit with our farm business.

I’m not sure many newsletters would be so forthcoming after almost a decade of business, but I’m hoping it’s not news to anyone that making a profit in farming is tough, especially when first starting out. We’re at the mercy of things largely beyond our control (weather, pandemics, inflation to name but a few), but beyond that, how people and our government value food and food production.

It’s a complicated topic as I appreciate that parts of society have come to rely on accessible cheap food, but cheap food does not cover the true expense to our environment of its production. When commodity foods are priced less than they cost to produce (economically & environmentally), someone or something is left to bear the brunt of this discrepancy.

In order to move away from the dysfunctional and unsustainable system cheap food perpetuates, we need legislation to support better food production. We can also change how we consume at home.

Buying locally and directly from food producers and developing relationships with farmers has a big impact. Visiting farms (we’re delighted many of you have come to hang out with us at Trenchmore this year), talking to farmers at food markets, even asking your farm shop, pub or favourite restaurant where and how they source their produce can all make a difference. There is real value in being connected with the land and what it produces - the magic that happens beyond our towns and cities is the very thing that sustains us.

If you have ever bought beef, chicken or cider from us or other thoughtful farms then hopefully you will know how different food that has been grown well can taste to what you might find in the supermarkets. We’re lucky that the UK is one of the best places on earth to grow grass to feed livestock, so buying locally doesn’t only support a better food system but also ensures you get the best grub on your plate.

Thank you for sticking with us at Trenchmore this year. Your support has allowed us to look after our animals & soils properly, and to produce the most delicious food we can. We’re still learning, as I hope we always will be, and I look forward to 2022 bringing many more firsts and even more connection with this growing community.

Yard shop open hours:

Friday 31st Dec, 11am - 12pm

Saturday 8th, 15th, 22nd & 29th Jan, 11am - 12pm

online shop

Things to read…

English Pastoral, James Rebanks

West Sussex Wildlife corridor

Meat, A Benign Extravagance, Simon Fairlie

Newsletter 3rd December 2021

Good afternoon,

Having moved the cattle and hens inside, it’s a fairly quiet time in the yard at the moment. Other than the daily feeding & bedding, keeping up with our customers and catching up with a little neglected admin, we’ve kept ourselves busy with orchard pruning this week.

The orchard is unsprayed and, other than being pecked and scratched by hens over summer, harvested in the autumn and sparsely pruned in the winter, it is incredibly low input. It is becoming a hub of activity for wild birds and we’re enjoying watching them find food and shelter amongst the apple trees. We’ve spotted fieldfares, blackbirds, blue tits, chaffinches, bullfinches, goldfinches, spotted woodpeckers, pied wagtails, robins and an occasional buzzard.

This means that you can drink Silly Moo Cider knowing that you’re supporting Cowfold’s biodiversity with every delicious sip.

We have fresh Sussex Wagyu steaks, eggs, cider & 3-foot potted Christmas trees, which were grown next door to the farm for zero tree-miles (if that’s a thing…) available to pick up tomorrow, and a couple of 2-bone sirloin joint Christmas Beef Boxes available to pre-order for collection next weekend.

Each Christmas Beef Box has a selection of delicious goodies to keep you well-fed over the festive period, and would make a really special gift for anyone who appreciates good food grown well.

online shop

Join us for Trenchmore’s last hurrah of the year on Saturday 18th December. 3Bros burgers, live music, mulled cider and plenty of festive joy from 1-4pm. I'm sure it goes without saying for an event outside in December, but please wear your thickest and cosiest knitted garms - free drinks for the best Christmas get up!

18th December booking

As January is our quietest time, I’m taking the opportunity (covid permitting…) to go and work in Greece for the month. Clare will continue to run the yard shop every Saturday from 11am-midday, should you like to pick up any beef or cider to keep your fridges full and bellies satiated until February.

Newsletter 24th November

Good evening,

As I sit down to write this I have just received an alert that the government are enforcing measures to house all poultry birds as of Monday to limit the spread of avian flu. We have 5 days to house our 101 hens.

Our egg-laying hens have worked their way around the orchard all spring, summer and autumn and have done a lovely job of tidying up under the apple trees. It is one of my favourite daily chores to check in on the flock, collect their delicious eggs and have my feet pecked as a cheerful welcome. Their golden feathers have been quite something amongst the autumn leaves in the sunshine this week.

We know that our flock will not be pleased to learn of their new living arrangements but in the face of increasing numbers of avian flu in the UK, unfortunately, flock-down so it must be.

We’re hoping to find a solution that keeps grass and grubs under their feet, without allowing them to do too much damage to the ground.

This is where you might be able to help - we are looking for one or two polytunnel frames and hope someone might have a spare that we could borrow, rent or buy from them. Any help would be greatly appreciated so we can keep our girls safe until the housing enforcement is lifted in the spring.

Christmas Wreath Workshop

4th December, 12-2pm

Hackney based florist Charlotte Lilian, who focuses on seasonal and British grown floral design, will be joining us in the yard. Learn to create your own festive luxury wreath from scratch, and take your own wreath and new skills home with you.

We will be providing drinks and delicious grazing platters with Sussex cheeses and cured meats for you to enjoy in the yard.

Please book if you’d like to join us so Charlotte can prepare enough festive foliage for you.

Book your wreath workshop

Live music & burgers

18th December, 1-4pm

Join us in the yard for our last event of the year.

Expect live music from George & Friends, burgers from the 3Bros, mulled cider and plenty of festive farmyard cheer to see you through to 2022.

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We have a couple of Trenchmore Christmas Boxes available to pre-order.

More details here.

Book your burger for 18th

Newsletter 1st October 2021

Good afternoon,

It feels like cold-season has hit hard this week, and it’s not being eased by the grey and gusty conditions outside. This sort of weather calls for comforting food, hopefully laden with plenty of nutrients to help recover and reboot our fragile and somewhat sniffly constitutions.

Well grown and quality ingredients are a good starting point.

Harry & Sam have been running Shrub Provisions for a little over a year now, and continue to work with small, ethical and sustainable growers in Sussex. All of their vegetables are thoughtfully grown, with a lot of the farms using biodynamic and regenerative practices.

It makes sense that looking after your soil means you will grow food that has more flavour and nutrients than food grown from chemically and mechanically abused land. These beautiful, seasonal and local fruit and vegetables have been grown by good people, using practices they are proud of.

This week their veg boxes are filled with Laines’ onions, Foskett’s watermelon radishes, carrots & baby new potatoes, Allwood Farm’s courgette, apples & pears from Ringden Farm, Ed’s parsley, Royal Oak’s purple cauliflower, Hairspring’s watercress, Aweside Farm’s spring onions and Culver Farm’s corn.

We have a few boxes available to pick up from the farm tomorrow. We also have plenty of stock bones, which you are welcome to on a first come first serve basis. Did someone say bone broth & vegetable soup…?

Plus, plenty of bone-in tomahawks, osso bucco and sirloin steaks.

Trenchmore shop

Newsletter 23rd September 2021

Good afternoon,

We produce Sussex Wagyu beef at Trenchmore, and are currently the only farm growing Akaushi beef in the country.

We decided to cross our native Sussex breed with the Japanese Red Wagyu Akaushi (Ah-ka-oo-shi) because we love the characteristics that both breeds bring to the genetics table, and know that hybrid vigour leads to better health and biological function.

We started with a small herd of pure Sussex cows (above left) in 2012 and imported some top quality Wagyu juice to breed our Wagyu bulls - Red Emperor (above right), Red Prince and Red Duke. We now put the bulls to work with our Sussex mums and breed our beautifully blended Sussex Wagyu beef twice a year, in the spring & the autumn.

The wagyu breed are known for their ability to marble, which is laying down intramuscular fat throughout their body. The flavour of this fat is unique to the breed and is a big part of the Trenchmore beef flavour. The fat is high in unsaturated oleic acid (similar to olive oil) and has a low melting point - Dave our butcher knows when he has a wagyu on his block because his hands are oily. The animals are surprisingly well adapted to the climate here and finish well on grass - unlike the more traditional black wagyu breed, which often needs quite a lot of feed to fatten on.

Our lovely Sussex cattle are a small but hardy bunch, who are thrifty on rough pasture. They are docile but stubborn, sometimes requiring Andrew & Nev to physically push on their backsides to get them to move. They are excellent mums and have even been spotted letting three calves suckle at once. That is seriously docile, if you ask me. They also produce a delicious grass-fed beef flavour, that the pureblood wagyu lacks.

In combining the two breeds, we are growing a beef herd that are healthy, a joy to look after and produce a consistently flavourful and succulent meat.

We picked up a Sussex Wagyu from Dave this morning and have fresh roasting joints, steaks and brisket ready to collect on Saturday.

order online

We kick off the apple swap this Saturday from 11am. More information about what apples we can take here. There is no need to register, just turn up with your surplus fruit and go home with your cider.