by Tom | Jul 1, 2020 | Recipes
This salad has been going down a storm in our pop-up coffee cabin this summer. It’s a classic salad, born within Italian households of old as a way to use up stale bread. It’s best when tomatoes are in season as they really are the stars of the show....
by Tom | Jun 15, 2020 | Recipes
This delicious recipe is inspired by a classic Spanish brunch. Serves 1 A slice of sourdough bread A couple of ripe Isle of White tomatoes (delicious at this time of year) Sliced cooking chorizo 1 egg A few basil leaves a drizzle of rapeseed oil (for a British touch,...
by Tom | Jun 3, 2020 | Recipes
Sunny days are for foraging and right now is all about those fragrant elderflowers that you’ll see blooming right now. The large white flat-topped clusters of beauty can be found in most hedgerows and gardens around Wiltshire usually around mid-May to June....
by Tom | May 13, 2020 | Farm Journal
If you’ve been up to the farm shop over the last few weeks, you’ll see the calves at Hartley Farm have been the main focus of attention for us on the farm. Our calving season has now finished on the farm and the next big job is silage making. We’ve had near-perfect...
by Tom | May 6, 2020 | Farm Journal
We’re almost at the stage where we’ve begun to find some rhythm and dare I say it, routine in our day’s work. Which in recent times, means it is time for another government announcement to shake it all up again. It’s hard work planning a business at the moment. On the...
by Tom | Apr 8, 2020 | Farm Journal
Let it be known that there is no doubt about it, the real heroes through this current climate are those front-line NHS workers. Knowing the risks involved and having to turn up every day to face those risks is truly remarkable. They deserve all our support and more. I...
by Tom | Mar 3, 2020 | Recipes
A delicious light lunch or healthy supper. All the goodness of some steamed purple sprouting broccoli, a protein kick from the poached eggs and a zingy drizzle of some bang in season wild garlic pesto. Serves 4 Shopping List 1 bunch of...
by Tom | Mar 3, 2020 | Recipes
As spring kicks into action and with Easter around the corner, lamb takes centre stage once again. Our lamb hotpot makes the most out of the beautifully flavoursome shoulder of lamb and a nice comforting dish for the crisp spring evenings. Serves 4 Shopping List 1...
by Tom | Feb 28, 2020 | Recipes
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 dressing with blue cheese for when the sun is looking a bit shy in the...
by Tom | Feb 17, 2020 | Farm Journal
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 of the old saying sheds a little hope at least after an extremely...
by Tom | Feb 4, 2020 | Recipes
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 had some leftover roast chicken from the weekend’s roast then...
by Tom | Feb 3, 2020 | Recipes
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 sting! This recipe is a perfect compromise for the time of year, a...
by Tom | Jan 2, 2020 | Farm Journal, Uncategorized
January is about reflection and goal setting for the year ahead. Many of my musings recently have been regarding the press and their portrayal of livestock farming and the environment. The key message has been that we need to eat less meat as intensive farming...
by Tom | Dec 6, 2019 | Recipes
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 when snacks, leftovers and condiments come into their own. A jar or...
by Tom | Oct 16, 2019 | Farm Journal, Uncategorized
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 last few months culminate in a mad rush towards another Christmas at...
by Tom | Sep 23, 2019 | Farm Journal, Uncategorized
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 damsons are steeping in the gin and the smell of woodsmoke fills the damp...
