Exciting News - Our Spring Events Programme Is Open For Booking
We’re so glad to be able to welcome you back to FarmED and to launch our spring programme of events and modules, which is now open for booking. Ranging from dawn chorus feasts and seasonal summer eating workshops, to more in depth modules on sustainable food and farming and major events such as Oxford Real Farming Conference in the Field, there’s something for everyone.
We are also proud to announce the FarmED bursary aimed at those who need financial support to attend our events.
April 13th - Get Squashed! Pumpkin Planting Party
Join us on the farm this Easter for a fun-filled day out celebrating all things pumpkin and squash! We are supporting the annual Oxfordshire Pumpkin Festival - a celebration of locally grown, edible pumpkins and squashes.Your visit will start with a farm walk and nature trail, following in the tracks of some of the abundant wildlife here at the farm. You'll also be treated to a delicious soup made from the squashes we grew here last year, served up with our very own heritage grain sourdough.
For more info and booking:
May 2nd - Dawn Chorus Feast
We will be joining thousands across the world for International Dawn Chorus day to celebrate nature at its most uplifting.
The event will start at 4am with a torchlit walk down to the bottom of the farm ready for the dawn chorus to begin at 4.30am. At 5.45am we will head back to the farm to tune in live to the dawn chorus across the globe, with hot drinks and a presentation from FarmED founder, Ian Wilkinson, about the work we have done to increase the bird population on the farm. A breakfast feast will be served at 7am, freshly prepared using ingredients from the farm and local producers.
For more info and booking:
May 15th - Heritage Grains & Sourdough Day
Enjoy a day with Matt Saunders, our very own resident baker, learning all the basic knowledge and skills to produce delicious homemade bread, as well as an education into the history of the grain and the health benefits of sourdough.For lunch you’ll help preparing sourdough pizzas to cook in the wood fired oven, served up with a salad prepared from vegetables from the kitchen garden. As well as your freshly baked bread, you will also take home some sourdough starter, to inspire your home-baking journey.
For more info and booking:
May 20th - Summer Seasonal Eating Workshop
Seasonal eating is one of the keys to promoting a healthy body and a healthy planet.
This interactive dining experience explores the reasons why this is so widely acknowledged, how we can incorporate seasonality into our diets, and the benefits we will receive and achieve. The evening is hosted by Nina Osswald - a sustainable foodie with a particular passion for whole plant-based nutrition and how the food we eat impacts our physical and mental health.
For more info and booking:
May 24th - Managing Grassland for Horse Health & Biodiversity
In this one day workshop we will explore horse needs and nutrition, the health benefits of species-rich grasslands, grazing patterns and pasture management.
For more info and booking:
2nd June - Introduction to Sustainable Farming & Food: Nourishing People and Regenerating the Planet
Join us for an informative and inspiring day on the farm to explore the challenges and opportunities in sustainable farming and food and how we can nourish people and regenerate the planet.
The day is delivered by the FarmED team and includes a mix of formal presentations and interactive workshop sessions. A guided farm walk will take in our diverse herbal ley and arable rotation, the market garden, mob grazing, micro dairy, apiary, orchard and natural flood management scheme.
In addition, we welcome a guest speaker to share their first-hand experiences. On June 2nd we are very excited to have Russ Carrington, Manager of Knepp Regenerative Farms with us. Russ will tell us more about the vision for the Knepp Estate and how a regenerative approach based on a mix of diverse enterprises fits in. We will hear about his first 6 months in post and lessons learnt so far.
Towards the end of the day, you will be encouraged to identify next steps for your own journey in agroecology, regenerative farming and sustainable food. You will enjoy great food and a chance to network and learn from others.
For more info and booking:
June 4th - Wild Fermentary Workshop: Sauerkraut & Pickles
Join our interactive afternoon led by the Wild Fermentary Workshops to learn all about the importance of gut health and why fermented foods are so beneficial.
For more info and booking:
June 13th - Doctor on the Farm
Come and learn more in this interactive and experiential dinner in which we will explore the role of the key foundations of good health - nutrition, movement, sleep, rest and connection. Our guest Sally Bell, an NHS GP and Functional Medicine Practitioner, will show you there are better solutions to complex and chronic health problems than the conventional GP approach.
For more info and booking:
June 26th - Midsummer Feast
Join us for a celebration of summer at FarmED!
A farm walk will be followed by a delicious and nutritious four-course feast prepared by our very talented guest chef Hannah Thomas of Herbs & Wild, using all local, seasonal British ingredients – most of which will come from our own kitchen garden. The evening will end with fireside music and poetry.
For more info and booking:
June 27th - Open Farm Sunday
Come to FarmED and see what we are up to on the farm as part of LEAF Open Farm Sunday. Meet at 13:00 for a 13:30 introduction to FarmED in the conference barn followed by a farm walk to hear about regenerative agriculture and sustainable food systems.
For more info and booking:
June 30th - July 1st - Oxford Real Farming Conference in the Field
Building on the sessions from this year's Oxford Real Farming Conference, this inaugural event will dive deeper into the practical application of agroecology and regenerative agricultural techniques.
The two day programme will be hosted by FarmED at its beautiful new site in the Cotswolds and curated by leading practitioners. Participants will be able to choose from a number of field-based workshops including beekeeping, building and monitoring soil health, agroforestry design, growing, harvesting and utilising heritage grains and creating and running a CSA. A full programme will be available shortly.
Organised by the Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) Team and FarmED.
For more info and booking:
Most Fridays - Friday Farm Walks & Picnic
Explore Honeydale Farm on an inspiring and informative guided farm walk, led by Founder, Ian Wilkinson or a member of the FarmED team. You’ll visit the flower rich meadows, heritage orchard, apiary, kitchen garden, natural flood management, woodland and more. At the end of the walk there’ll be a delicious and nutritious picnic lunch freshly prepared in the FarmED Kitchen.
For more info and booking:
Also Booking:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tasting Workshop and Dinner
Cotswold Seeds Customer Events
Autumn Pop-Up in the FarmED Kitchen
And Coming Soon:
We are working with 3LM (The Savory Network Hub in the UK and Ireland) to deliver 12 days of holistic management training over four three-day blocks in 2021 covering:
Holistic Management with Holistic Management Fundamentals (July)
Holistic Ecological Monitoring and Land Planning (Sept)
Holistic Planned Grazing (Oct)
Holistic Financial Planning (Nov)
Watch this space as we’ll soon be sharing more information about our upcoming introductory and applied courses in agroforestry, soil health, herb-rich leys, and permaculture design.
The FarmED Bursary
We want everyone, including the most disadvantaged in our community, to feel welcome and to engage with our programme of events, courses and learning activities. If funding is a real barrier to you, please get in touch. We have a small bursary pot which we can use to help fund or part fund core fees and other expenses for those that will benefit most.
Find out more: