A Season of Small Joys

January has a habit of arriving with a lot of noise. New rules. New targets. New versions of ourselves we’re apparently supposed to become overnight. If your inbox looks anything like mine, it’s full of big promises and bigger pressure — all delivered at a time of...

A note on hospitality, and why it still matters.

There’s been no shortage of stories in the news recently about the pressure hospitality is under. I’m keen not to turn this journal into a depressing list of reasons why — no one needs that at this time of year. But it has got me thinking. Hospitality has always faced...

The Christmas Traditions We’re Honoured to Be Part Of

I think the C word was first uttered around May this year. Christmas is a huge part of our calendar, and as the saying goes, you’ve got to make hay while the sun shines — though I do often wish our business wasn’t quite so dependent on it. Over the years, we’ve had...

Pumpkins, Progress & a Taste of Autumn

Autumn has well and truly arrived. Despite the inevitable rain and blustery days, I’ve always loved the distinct seasons we get here in England. By the time one is drawing to a close, I’m ready to move on to the next — ready for a change in pace, whatever that might...

Celebrating British Carrot Day with this delightful dish from our kitchen team

Last week we celebrated the autumn equinox with the most wonderful harvest supper, in one of Kate's polytunnels. Using all of the produce from Kate's organic market garden, our kitchen team created an incredible home-grown feast. We loved the braised carrots so much,...

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Cobb Salad

Cobb Salad

This is a bit of an American classic and we thought it would be a great dish to kick off the spring with, all the health benefits of fresh salads and vegetables with a comfortingly rich homemade...

March

March

March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb as they say. I can’t help thinking about this as I write this month’s blog just off the back of two bracing storms in Ciara and Dennis. The latter part...

Cock-a-Leekie Pie

Cock-a-Leekie Pie

This recipe is a bit of a play on the traditional Scottish Cock-a-leekie soup. Leeks are right in season in February and this recipe matches them beautifully with the smoked bacon and prunes. If you...

Roast Squash, Lentil & Blue Cheese Salad

Roast Squash, Lentil & Blue Cheese Salad

As the snowdrops start to appear the early signs of spring are here. It's best not to put all your eggs in one basket though and start dreaming of warmer weather yet, for February usually has a...

Delicious Homemade Chutneys for Boxing Day

Delicious Homemade Chutneys for Boxing Day

Christmas Day is all about gifts, spending time with your loved ones, and great food. And, quite often, so is Boxing Day! While we don’t often eat quite as much, everyone’s still picking, and that’s...

October

October

Well, here we are heading towards the end of another year already. This is certainly the business end of the year for us in the farm shop and all of the efforts in planning and preparation over the...

September

September

September at Hartley Farm Darkness has started to set in earlier in the evenings but the trade-off has been some picture-perfect autumn scenes at the beginning and end of the day. The sloes and...

August

August

Last month we bought a new (old) member of the family back to the farm in the shape of our 1953 Fordson Major Tractor. As a special feature, I thought I’d ask my father Richard to write this month’s...

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