After a long period of navel gazing, I have decided to pull out of the artichoke field at Bere Ferrers. Not enough demand and too much time spent weeding has resulted in me just covering the rent each year. Not exactly what was planned by year three.
On the positive side of things, we are hoping to acquire a block of land next to us where we will build from the ground up a proper Potager Garden, which will of course include lots of artichokes. These will be mostly for Birland Feasts and home consumption and not shop sales. Established artichoke plants will be for sale later this Autumn and you will be able to chose your variety. This will be a DIY exercise and you'll need a spade and very large container.
Fuelled by the popularity of our Feasts and Simple Suppers and all your generous feedback, for which many thanks, 2025 is now in the planning stages. We hope to return to Rumleigh Farm with more wood fired Feasts, more tables and exciting menus showcasing local produce. Rumleigh's fine organic beasts will of course feature! We love this venue and based on your feedback, it's clear you do too.
We also plan summer BBQs at the Tamar Valley Vineyard at South Hooe on the Bere Peninsula. This will of course include Marcus's wine. The other concept we are contemplating, if the Potager is ready, is a small, select dining club concept at our home with a table just for 12. This will show what's best in the vegetable garden, feature more fish than meat, fresh pasta and be very seasonal, with several smaller courses cooked to order. Don't worry, I haven't gone all Michelin star-ed or whipped butter on you, it's just about fresh, just-harvested simple ingredients cooked well ( although perhaps that missing Michelin star lurks deep in my psyche).
We have a slight stay of execution at The Voting Tree, so will launch the beginning of 2025 events there very soon. We are still on the hunt for more venues on the Peninsula, so if you do know of something then please get in touch.
In the meantime, most of the Autumn and Winter events were sold out before we could blink, so we must be getting something right. At the time of writing there are just two places left for the Very Special Christmas Feast on Friday 13 December and just a few more for Saturday 14 December. So do get booking now! If you want to go on the wait list for any of the other events, please do get in touch. We look forward to cooking for you during the remainder of 2024.
Martin and Mary and the Birland Feasts crew (Tass, Simon and Eve)
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