The Paddock Smallholding

The Paddock Smallholding, tell me more

Our family smallholding is how it all started. It's a very special place where we have enjoyed lots of happy times together, and continue to do so. It was the starting point for The Paddock as a business, and through our Instagram you can share a little insight into what goes on! We aim to produce as much fruit and veg as we can at our own smallholding in an environmentally friendly & sustainable manner. We have a composting toilet, solar powered lights and the land is worked by hand using very little machinery. We have established a small orchard, which we began planting in 2019, with a selection of heritage apples, plums, damsons & cherry trees as well as incorporating more native shrubs into our natural hedgerow and we aim to encourage the wildlife and bio-diversity through the natural surrounding hedgerows, wildflower and meadow style grazing.

Pictured opposite: Laura picking tarragon at The Paddock Smallholding, with rhubarb, wildflower & globe artichokes in the background.

Pictured Below: A selection of herbs, fresh peas & edible flowers grown at The Paddock Smallholding.

No Dig, Growing Organically

Each year we aim to grow as much veg as we can at The Paddock. Whilst we are not certified organic by the Soil Association, everything is grown organically, without the use of pesticides or fertilisers using no dig methods. We grow crops from potatoes to spinach to outdoor tomatoes!

Our horses have always been a very important part of life at The Paddock. We try to work the land using our horses, from harrowing the grass to muck spreading but each one of them are part of our family.

Our free range chickens, Laura's Layers are free to roam the 6 acres. They have fox proof housing in the orchard for the darker Winter months so they still have plenty of access to the outdoors, whilst remaining safe from predators. Each year we rear on hens to live at The Paddock using a No Kill method.

Laura's Layers

Laura's Layer's are the wonderfully entertaining chickens here at The Paddock who lay the lovely eggs! They are allowed to roam freely during the day and can sometimes be found wandering off into the next door field or laying an egg in some of the most unusual places! The demand is now so high for the eggs, we also work with local, small scale producers who we know and trust, but even then we can still sell out at the end of the week, so please get your orders in early to avoid disappointment! 
 
Our hens have come from many places over the years, from ex battery rescues to the chicks we incubate ourselves. We have a very back to basics approach, and the chickens have a large portion of our 6 acres to roam freely, with fox proof housing in the orchard. One question we are often asked is what we do with our male chicks, do we kill them? The answer is no, they live at The Paddock or are re-homed to new loving homes. 

Please note, we are unable to supply eggs from our own hens to everyone, all year round. Click herefor more information on our current suppliers.