Note to self - if the Manager and Supervisor both go on holiday at the same time, make sure I emigrate!
Moving swiftly on, the kitchen has played a blinder and produced some fabulous salads just in time for our Meadow Festival yesterday. Good for summer and good for those of us hoping to slip into a wedding outfit!
We also had great performances of Folk music and dancing. I have already booked a table for the Folk evening at Berry’s on 12th October, having seen and listened to the acts on show.
The staff were all cracking and covered Berry’s Courtyard, Peach House, Patio and Cafe, supplying cool beers and delicious food and drinks where ever needed. The shop was showing off with its supply of Yorvale ice cream soft scoop cones and Wensleydale Ice cream tubs, plus some fabulous home made Fudge made by Daniel Benbow in Askrigg (Francis Smaller Fudge).
Farm Tours are ever evolving and the latest player is Harry, giving rides in his goat cart. His debut was at the Meadow Festival. He loves the extra attention and grabbing the lime light.
Harry and his cart in action
The Berry’s staff have been treated to a well earned Summer party in one of the yurts on a sunny Sunday evening. Everyone chipped in to cook some wonderful Farm meat on the BBQ. Those brave enough took advantage of the hot tub and those lucky enough slept in the yurts afterwards, a great event for all!
On the Berry’s Farm team front. Doris, the pregnant goat still enjoys helping with everyone’s feeding time. She likes to check there is nothing being dished out that she should have.
Doris keeping an eye
My favourite Hen is always at each feeding station just before me. It doesn’t matter if it is a large old spot Boar or a Llama or Sheep, she always appears like magic, anyone would think there were several Cream legbar bantams!
I was proudly showing off Duchess, our Berkshire sow, on a Farm Tour recently and discovered I was talking to a Berkshire pig expert (he had 400 sows and did something with Waitrose), so I was hanging on his every word. He said wisely, the best gilts to select for breeding should have 8 teats down each side on their tummies (I get that) and choose the ones with floppy ears as they are better natured than the ones with sticking up ears (got that too!) and I then realised all Berkshires have sticking up ears, was he pulling my leg!?
We have had to move our 18 porkers into larger accommodation. They were escaping and the 3 Musketeers were also joining in with the folk dancing and feeding rounds, it was getting out of control. Luckily, with the cows out in the fields there are some free barns and they are loving the space.
3 musketeers
Porkers in their barn
The Llama laid out in the sun showing off his 360* vision.
I had a purpose to my dog walk recently when I went to check on the young Highland cattle. They are loving their hill side grazing, it's breezy enough to get away from the flies and they are somehow finding enough on the rough grass to live comfortably. The young Blonde has a fabulous hair style. We have booked another highland black bull to visit us for his summer holidays, I am looking forward to meeting him, they are so impressive.
To end on a terrific high, we (Berry’s and the Wensleydale Experience), have had some fantastic news. We are a Finalist for the North’s Outstanding Rural Diversification Project for The Rural Business Awards, so we are off to dinner for the announcement of the winner in October (fingers crossed).
We have also been selected for the English National Parks Experience Collection. This will involve support for a tourism initiative with Australia and Germany, - and I'm always impressed if customers have come from York to visit us!
