Down on the farm at Petherton (From This is The West Country)

Down on the farm at Petherton

2:10pm Tuesday 24th August 2010 in Somerset By Steve Sowden

A JOINT open day will be held at Flaxdrayton Farm and Honey Pot Farm at South Petherton on Bank Holiday Monday (Aug 30) from 10am to 5pm.

People will be able to see how food is produced close to where they live. They will experience authentic low-food-mile shopping at two farms in South Petherton.

Flaxdrayton Farm and Honey Pot Farm, both located just a few hundred yards from the A303 South Petherton roundabout are hosting a joint farm open day on Bank Holiday from 10am to 5pm.

Peter Foster and Christina Ballinger have been growing vegetables at Flaxdrayton Farm since 1998.

This year they have 25 acres in production, and their vegetables are distributed throughout the county by Somerset Organic Link.

Peter and Christina would like to sell more of their vegetables in towns and villages local to the farm such as Ilminster and South Petherton.

Colin and Julie Comben have been developing their smallholding next to the Bartons in Yeabridge since the early 1990s.

Today they produce cider and apple juice, lamb, pork, eggs, honey, elderflower cordial, vinegar, preserves and chutney.

Both couples are committed to the environmental benefits of local food production and see the joint farm open day as a way to attract more interest from local residents.

The open day will take place at Honey Pot Farm with guided tours of Flaxdrayton leaving from Honey Pot Farm at 11.30am and 2pm.

The open day will have a lunch time barbecue and cream teas in the afternoon, sheep races in the morning and the afternoon, demonstration apple-pressing, food stalls and other family activities.

More information from Christina at Somerset Organic Link on 01458-224618.