As farmers take stock of their harvest yields this year, they will also be deciding what to produce next year. Unlike the fishermen I wrote about last month, where the decision has already been made by the fish themselves, the decision for farmers is a hugely costly one to which no-one really knows the answer. There are so many variables and although weather has always been the biggest, we really are in uncharted territory now in that regard.
Climate
They will, of course, have been closely watching how their land has responded this year, as well as looking at what other farmers are doing.
The situation has been equally bad for livestock farmers as it has for arable. There has been insufficient grass to feed their animals, necessitating many to have to buy in expensive feed. And what if feeding grass is essential to your brand? Several French cheeses had the terms of their AOP status relaxed because of the drought conditions, although this is intended to be a temporary measure. In the UK many farmers had to reduce their herd size owing to the lack of grass and this is not the first year it has been necessary. Quite a lot of farmland in the UK is not suitable for growing crops, and the ease with which we used to grow grass was one of the UK’s most significant USPs. Ireland is the other key grower of grass, and they had more wet weather than England and Wales, so perhaps we shall be turning to them for our meat.
What I do know is that we can’t afford to lose more farmers. We need to be able to produce more of our own food as conditions on the continent as regards wildfire and water are even worse than here. Our food security really is a matter of national security. That doesn’t mean that we need to produce all our food, but we must retain the ability to produce enough to feed our population in the event of wars and disasters here or elsewhere. It is a fundamental duty. Yet according to the British Berry Growers, the government continues to put pressure on retailers to keep food prices down with the consequence being that as farm costs rose by 7.8 % in the year to September 2026 (according to analysts Andersons) food inflation was kept at just 2.5% (British Retail Consortium). This may seem like good news to consumers but not if it comes out of farm income.
Winners and Losers
Observation of our own garden showed how important trees are in retaining moisture. Hedges also play an important part; you could see a distinct difference in how the grass was affected on different sides of the same hedge. Our orchard enabled grazing when open fields did not. The trees themselves did not actually fruit well this year, but it was a bumper year last year and I still hold out hope for the future, but what we might see is as ideal conditions will probably move north. The is already a completely separate Pomona of fruits suited to north England and Scotland. Varieties like James Grieve, which is considered a cooking variety in its native Scotland, produces a dessert apple when grown in the south. I have noticed that cooking varieties held up better than dessert varieties this year, but that is perhaps skewed by the dominant variety, the ever-reliable Bramley’s Seedling.
Although when growing trees, it makes sense to consider which can also provide a crop, the benefit they provide to the other “crops” whether that be livestock or plant, is well recognised through agroforestry schemes which can also attract environmental subsidy. The government, however, needs to get much smarter on its provision of these incentives as the recent shambles involving time and money spent applying for the pot which was emptied in just six hours, making securing a grant seem as likely as getting tickets for Glastonbury.
Whilst much of the food produced in Britain did not fare well this year, there were winners as well as losers. Amongst the things that did well were herbs, especially those more suited to Mediterranean climes such as Lavender, but our British staples – Parsley, Sage Rosemary and Thyme also looked particularly healthy. But herbs alone will not feed us.
For the first time ever, some of our second crop of smaller figs have ripened and I have also seen local figs for sale. It would be great to buy British rather than importing, usually from Turkey, which I saw fewer of this year anyway. For a period, most seemed to come from Peru and were not good.
British tomatoes have also been excellent this year, in fact I have bought very few imported fresh tomatoes this year. We gave up growing them a few years ago because they were so hot and miss here, but I might actually give them a go again. There are some wonderful heritage varieties available.
We also grew some bumper sized butternut squash; however farmers who grow the Jack-O’-Lantern variety of pumpkin for the purpose of carving into Hallowe’en lanterns, bemoaned the lack of rain to swell them. It is true that we watered our butternut squash, and that those that had to pay commercial rates for water might have found it swallowed all their profit. Jack-O’Lantern have a particularly high percentage of water in their flesh and giant ones attract a premium price for Halloween. There seems to be a considerable number of farmers offering a pick your own experience for this purpose. It is a shame that the varieties that offer better eating, such as Butternut and Crown Prince, do not seem to be valued as highly. My recipe choice for this month is Pumpkin Ravioli, which admittedly take some time to make, but are sure to win over anyone who is still to be converted to eating winter squash. There are simpler ways to enjoy it; for example, I frequently cube butternut squash to roast with rosemary as an accompanying vegetable.
I realise that the climate has been very different in England and Wales to that in Scotland and Northern Ireland. I can only speak of my observations here, but I hope that what we are struggling with in the south will become an opportunity for those in the north.
Biodiversity
What does seem clear is that the drive towards larger monocultural farms must surely now be abandoned. Putting all your eggs in one basket is a huge risk. Creating a diverse biosphere, along organic and regenerative principles, is what our land needs to withstand and adapt to changing conditions.
Financial
Farmers are no strangers to the concept of diversification. Accommodation ranging from farmhouse bed and breakfast, no-frills campsites to luxury yurts are all important sidelines. Farmers have probably already explored the possibility of selling direct via a farm shop or online. However, this requires something to sell and there is precious little available. Farm shops have increasingly become tea shops with a gift store tagged on.
The aspect of diversification that I have found most exciting is Farm Feasts. There are variations on these from simple pop-up pizza nights to full-blown sit-down meals. They usually begin with a tour of the farm, an important educational tool for which grants can be available. The food served will give people an opportunity to taste how good the produce is, but for this you need either to be an accomplished cook or to bring in a guest chef. Guest chefs are a draw in their own right and many relish the opportunity to reach a new market for their normal restaurant. Numbers are variable too. I have sat down in a barn alongside another 40-50 people, and they have been very sociable occasions. You can see why an accomplished chef is necessary to cater for this number. My favourite farm feast this year was for only 10 guests seated in an absolutely charming barn with adjacent kitchen. The farm was more of a small holding, which kept pigs, sheep, ducks, chickens and geese and grew all their own vegetables. The owner was already known to me as a game chef – wild food and foraging is one of his big interests. We began with a welcoming blackberry cocktail (alcoholic or non) to accompany a superb range of home cured charcuterie. After the farm tour we sat down for dinner cooked by Tom, which on this occasion majored in the abundance of vegetables available accompanying a joint of pork slowly roasted over a fire. There was an astonishing array of vegetables cooked in various ways – the courgette flowers stuffed with local ricotta especially impressed. Homemade ice creams were followed by walnut Ricciarelli biscuits, my absolute favourite of the entire delicious meal, then followed by homemade digestifs made with foraged ingredients.
Despite the undoubted worry and hard work that this year’s heat and drought have caused, I felt optimistic that a new generation of farmers are very open to new approaches. Farm Feasts that join Enlightened Agriculture with Enlightened Cookery provided the best eating experience of the year. I will definitely be going again, so if you fancy joining me the details you need are: Pennard Hill Farm | Luxury Holiday Cottages & Glamping in Somerset.
Pumpkin Ravioli
Makes around 30
400g fresh pasta
filling:
250g roasted pumpkin purée (Crown Prince for preference, or try a mixture of butternut squash and sweet potato)
50g freshly grated parmesan cheese
50g ground almonds
2 tablespoons finely chopped Mostarda (Italian pickled glacé fruits)
freshly grated nutmeg to taste
to serve:
Melted butter and sage or rosemary
Scattering of chopped walnuts
Roast slices of pumpkin until soft and then purée. Mix with the remaining filling ingredients.
Roll the pasta into thin sheets. Place teaspoonfuls of the mixture at intervals along the dough, leaving a finger’s width between each. Use your finger to lightly wet around each mound of filling then lay a second sheet of pasta on top. Seal the pasta using the cupped side of your hand and ensuring that no air is trapped inside the parcel. Cut around to form individual ravioli. Press the edges again firmly to seal.
Cook half a dozen ravioli at a time in rapidly boiling salted water. As soon as they rise to the surface remove from the water with a slotted spoon and keep warm in a dish containing butter, which has been melted with chopped sage or rosemary.
Grate a little more nutmeg over before serving and scatter with chopped walnuts.
Share this article: