NIGEL AKEHURST VISITS: TRENCHMORE FARM
LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT
CIDER LIFE
Nigel Akehurst visits Trenchmore Farm in Cowfold, West Sussex, to meet Rachel Knowles, one of the team behind the award-winning Silly Moo Cider and Wagyu cross Sussex Beef.
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Andrew and Joanne Knowles bought Trenchmore Farm in 2012, leaving London to realise a lifelong dream of running their own farm. Initially the plan was to have a small herd of suckler cows and enjoy the good life. However, it wasn’t long before an ambitious plan was hatched to regenerate the depleted soil and develop a number of different enterprises on the farm. This involved building a new state-of-the-art farmyard, planting an apple orchard, growing heritage grains and developing a herd of Sussex and Wagyu cattle. Eight years on and the two main enterprises are cider and beef production, allied to some heritage grain and small-scale poultry. It’s very much a family run business; their son Oscar spent a few years on the farm after University. He initially shadowed their
farm manager, who then moved on. Oscar took on the role himself and, without any formal training, found himself learning from YouTube farmers like Joel Salatin and Richard Perkins. Ultimately Oscar decided to pursue other career opportunities in London, but in 2017 daughter Rachel joined the business, initially to help with their cider brand Silly Moo. She now makes the cider and looks after all the sales and marketing across the different enterprises, as well as doing the accounts. The day-to-day management and farm chores are carried out by Andrew and full-time stockman Neville.
FARM VISIT
Driving through the farm gates, the first thing I see is the large round house barn, sitting at the centre of a modern farmyard. Meeting Rachel and Neville I
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begin by quizzing them on their enviable set up. The farmyard was designed around the round house, “chosen to maximise animal welfare,” Rachel explained. The decision was based on the research work of American scientist and animal behaviourist Mary Temple Grandin, who discovered that cows don’t like straight lines and like to be able to see each other. Built in 2012, it is used as winter housing and has an integrated cattle handling system that can be safely operated by one person. The barn also acts as a large roundabout for vehicles since it is located in the middle of the farmyard. “The only downside is that it takes longer to top up the cattle feed troughs,” I was told. Next we headed over to see a group of their Wagyu cross Sussex cattle in a more conventional-shaped
