Under 35s

Under 35s Gala Weekend

WITH the return of in-person events, we began 2022 keen to invigorate our subsection of the Club, currently under trial as the Under 35s. The occasion was celebrated in suitable style with our first event of the year – The Gala Weekend.

Aimed at welcoming new members from the past two years, it was great to see so many new faces join us on the Friday night. Over 50 old and new members were greeted by an English sparkling wine reception and an excellent magician.

We were also joined by special guests John Lee, the Club’s Chairman, and Andrei Spence, the Club Secretary. Both mentioned how excited they were by the prospects of the Under 35s and the return of the younger members to the Club after a quiet couple of years.

We were spoilt with an indulgent five course menu, my personal highlight being the hogget parcel served with lamb. After filling our stomachs, we stopped for a quick drink in the Bar before heading to Bunga Bunga – joined by Club Chairman John Lee – where we danced the night away.

After a leisurely breakfast and some farewells, we reconvened for The Play that Goes Wrong. This did not disappoint and had us all laughing out loud with its witty slapstick humour.

To top off a brilliant weekend we then meandered our way over to Skylon restaurant to enjoy a threecourse meal and wine before heading our separate ways.

We couldn’t have asked for a better weekend and as a Committee we are incredibly excited by the coming year and the prospects for the Under 35s.

Rose Franklin, Under 35s Committee Member

Chairman’s Jottings

WELL what a start to the New Year the Under 35s has seen so far! We had a fantastic inaugural Gala Weekend, thank you so much to everyone who helped make this such a success. We have now also had our first Cheese and Wine evening, which was a huge success. Delicious and informative, could you ask for more? We were joined by George Lang of The Cheese Merchant and Lucy Blant of Maisons Marques et Domaines and a lot of fun was had by all. Definitely one to be repeated in the future. We are very much looking forward to seeing everyone at our next scheduled event, the Black & White Dinner in April and for our very varied season of events to come this year. A huge thank you to everyone who completed our survey, we are grateful for the time and effort put in by so many and will be taking as much as possible into consideration as we continue to plan this year. Please keep an eye out for our Under 35s News in Andrei’s e-newsletters. Should you be having any problems with receiving the emails, please contact the Club so this can be rectified.

Contact Alice Hind for more information c/o The Farmers Club • 020 7930 3557 • generaloffice@thefarmersclub.com

California Dreamin’

Under 35s member Emily McVeigh finally started her Nuffield Scholarship travels in February

AFTER being awarded a Nuffield Scholarship in October 2020, our year group was stalled by Covid-19, so it was a relief to start travelling in February, and my first destination was – California!

My study is “Farm to glass; assessing how farms can benefit from future trends in the drinks industry”. I am researching new trends and opportunities, which can be adopted by farmers interested in entering the drinks sector, with a focus on health and wellness, sustainability and new product innovation.

I had not visited the USA’s west coast before and was blown away by the scale of its agriculture, but was also pleased to meet innovators on smaller farms leading the change to more regenerative, nature-led farming.

Mycorrhizal inoculants

Near San Francisco I visited Darek Trowbridge’s Old World Winery, a small, family owned business. Using grapes from their sustainable, organic vineyards they create ‘natural wines’ reflecting the family’s history and traditional winemaking. Darek is passionate about improving soil health in his 100 year old vineyards using wood chip based mycorrhizal inoculants.

Next was Clarksburg, on the Sacramento River, where 2022 Nuffield Scholar Tom Merwin grows 600 acres of vines at his family’s Merwin Vineyards and produces Silt wines with two childhood friends.

I also visited an urban craft winery, Revolution wines, where Colleen Sullivan, a 20-something winemaker, is on a mission to put Clarksburg Chenin Blanc on the map.

Down the Central Valley vines are replaced by almond blossom. I spent an afternoon with farmer Glenn and daughter Wendy, who farm 18 acres of certified organic almonds as Anderson Almonds. Glenn was a pioneer of organic farming and Wendy helped set up The Almond Board of California. I was particularly interested in the rising demand for almond milk and its effect on organic almond farmers.

Regenerative organic

The landscape then switched to citrus trees on the Pacific coast. Just 40 miles north of Los Angeles the 214 acre Apricot Lane Farms was founded in 2011 by John and Molly Chester, who regeneratively grow more than 200 varieties of fruit and vegetable, alongside livestock within a dynamic ecosystem.

The farm is certified organic, biodynamic and regenerative organic (ROC) and featured in the Netflix film ‘The Biggest Little Farm’. They will soon release a new series. I was interested in their lemonade, developed over recent years from 30 acres of lemon trees.

My main take-home lesson was to take time to explore, learn, gain and share knowledge. A common thread was farmers wanting to ensure they are farming in the future and leave the land in better shape for the next generation.

This whirlwind, jam-packed trip, proved the power of Nuffield. I felt like I got to see the real California. Of course, the wine tasting was a highlight!