Around the Farm Table

Our kitchen table is the hub of the farm. We eat all our meals together; breakfast, lunch and dinner, and though the whole house is shared, no where feels more communal than the farm table.

It is here, and not the office, where our most important discussions take place. Key decisions about what direction the business is taking, how we are going to manage the land and what to do about our flock all happen here. It is an informal, equal, open space that allows free thinking unbounded by the hierarchy of the office and uninfluenced by the distractions of office screens. The mobile phone signal is also terrible in that room of the house, I often wonder if its intentional, but it means no-one gets distracted by their phones either. Focused discussion is the most important part of any business; the co-operation, support and understanding found at such informal meetings are the keys to a strong team.

We talk about life, in all its beauty and all its ugliness. We entertain guests, learn the latest gossip in the village, talk about the Archers and work out how solve all of the world's ills. We get the measure of people and learn more about each other. From what food our volunteers eat first off their plates, to how we'll all react to the announcement of armageddon and what we'd do about it; its all there to be learned. We've found the farm table an interesting place to observe people.

RegenerEat is a holistic way of looking at food so where it is eaten is as important as where it is farmed. The sense of community built at our farm table is important; the discussions that happen there make everyone feel included, We make sure all our goals match up or we hash out comfotable compromises. We spend a great deal of time together, we are a farmily.

Every week I aim to publish an Around the Farm Table post that will cover some of the hot topics of our week's discussions.