A Week on the Estate: Storm Babet, Wet Week & Clint’s News

“The chickens stayed indoors all day. They haven’t got waterproof feathers and don’t like getting wet. The improvements to the banks of the Lake look OK but the architect will be popping back to check it all out. Things are getting back to normal now. The beck is pretty full and it’s flowing fast but the level’s gone right down.

“The ground is sodden but it will dry out in time. I can’t cut the grass for now but everything else in the Walled Garden has weathered the storm well. I’m busy cutting things down to encourage growth next year. I’m also still harvesting the last of the summer crops. I’ve got two sacks of spuds in the shed and there’s more to come.

“We get garden produce all-year round. There’s a winter crop of dwarf beans coming and we’ll cover things with hessian sacks if the frost comes. We’ve also got sprouts coming just in time for Christmas. I fry mine with walnuts and butter so that they’re browned on the outside but crispy in the middle.

“The honey bees have been a success story this year, giving us 4L of honey. I got Josh, one of the new graduates, suited up and acquainted with them. We’ve been careful to take honey sparingly as the bees need winter honey to tide them over. They’re getting towards dormant now but their hive is double-skinned and we’ve left them a reserve of sugary water.

“I was stung by bees four or five times last year but I haven’t been stung at all this year. It’s just luck. Biting horse flies have been a nuisance this year. We need more of whatever eats them.

“I started the bees with Kitty. She was a Saturday Club kid then she was my assistant groundskeeper and now she’s gone off to uni. We’re good friends with Kitty and her parents who have an Airbnb so we get to catch up. Her studies are going well but she misses coming here. She’s determined to pass her driving test so she can visit under her own steam.

“We’ll be here for Christmas but we’ll be getting a break or two before then. We’ve got Dave as a relief caretaker now. When he comes down, we hire a caravan for him and park it in the courtyard. He’s a retired lorry driver from Grimsby and he loves it here. He gets pocket money and a break in the countryside. Dave is very into gardening, likes working with Colin and wants to get more into beekeeping.

“This week could have been worse for us. It could have been coming down as snow. We’ve not had proper snow for a while and it could be one of those winters.”

Finally, and speaking of winter, we know many of you are planning your Christmas family feast. Here’s the latest on our plans for turkeys, chickens, click & collect and more:

– We’ll be selling the pick of our farm-raised, succulent, high-welfare Norfolk Black turkeys, Lincolnshire Buff chickens and other fine Estate produce in the run-up to Christmas.

– Our Christmas poultry will be slaughtered, dressed, frozen and ready to be ordered by the second week of November.

– We always choose quality over quantity so poultry numbers will be limited and early ordering is recommended.

– Our fortnightly click & collect sessions will run as normal on 4th November, 18th November, 2nd December and 16th December.

– We’ll be hosting two special, festive click & collect sessions on 22nd and 23rd December at South Ormsby Hall. We’ll meet and greet you with music, hot drinks and mince pies, and send you away with bags of fine produce and Christmas cheer!

Watch this space for more exciting news in the run-up to Christmas.

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* Image of Storm Babet by EU / Copernicus Sentinel via Wikipedia CC