Did you know?
PIGEONS
COWS BY TRAIN
COTTON THE COW
Clover
37 Buzzards
The Archers
Compost Grown
Pimhill in Carnaby Street
PIGEONS
Many years ago they would tie the young pigeons (squabs) into the nest boxes of the Dovecote so that the parent birds would feed them for longer until they became plump and potentially delicious!
COWS BY TRAIN
Our first herd of Ayrshire cows came from Scotland, arriving by train at Yorton station. They were then herded the two miles to their new home at Pimhill Farm.
COTTON THE COW
Each of our cows is named after her mother, so that we retain and recognise cow ‘families’. The bull’s name is in front of the mother’s name and we have a bull named Durk so if he sires a heifer (female) from Cotton the calf will be called Durk Cotton.
Clover
We plant red and white clover to fix nitrogen into the soil naturally rather than using artificial fertiliser. Artificial fertiliser is dependent upon fossil fuels for its production.
37 Buzzards
One day 37 buzzards were counted on one of our fields which had recently been sown with wheat. They were all standing on the ground like sentinels and staring at the soil. Does anyone know what that was about?
The Archers
The Archers organic connection came about because of Anne Mayall. Some of the producers of the radio programme had previously visited Pimhill Farm and when Richard and Anne Mayall met them again, at the Royal Show, Anne took them along to the Soil Association’s stand and suggested that it was about time an Archer went organic!
Compost Grown
Our flour, oats and muesli were originally sold as “compost grown”. This was before the word organic was being used
Pimhill in Carnaby Street
When the first Cranks restaurant was opened in London by Daphne Swann and David & Kay Canter, David Canter baked bread in Devon using Pimhill flour, put the loaves in a suitcase, took the train to London and walked down Carnaby Street with his suitcase full of Pimhill loaves to open the restaurant!
