Welcome to Farm & Feast 2024 and our first Sunday gathering of the season.
I can’t wait to meet you all for our first Sunday gathering, here at the farm on Sunday 28th April. Here’s the plan…
10am – Members arrive at Laurelbank Farm
Get settled and grab a cup of tea or coffee and a wee snack.
Once we all have a cup of something in our hands, I will welcome all our new members to our CSA and introduce the Laurelbank Farm team. If the weather is good, we’ll all head out into the courtyard for this.
10:45 – Farm Tour
We’ll walk around the farm, introduce you to all the important things…
swings for small and large children
the lawn for relaxing in the sunshine
all the numerous growing areas
our polytunnel - and our 2nd polytunnel (almost built!)
and much more.
11:30 - Let the “farming” commence!
Potato planting - We’ll be encouraging you all (kids and adults alike) to plant your own potatoes in a recycled tyre-based vertical growing area! We will be painting tyres - bring old clothes.
You can visit your potatoes throughout the season, building it up with new tyres and more compost for a bigger potato yield. There is nothing better than harvesting your own spuds.
The Edible Flower Bed - We’ll introduce you all to your “pick your own” edible flower bed and get some seedlings planted out. This will be an area where you can help yourself to flowers and herbs any time you’re at the farm.
Courtyard planting - While the kids run around, we’ll start the process of filling our courtyard with colourful planters & pots, full of edibles - including a new horseradish planter, the daylily bed (yes, you can eat daylilies), a guttering strawberry planter and lots more.
1pm – Lunch in the Gallery
The Menu
To Feast:
Our legendary Three-Bean Chilli (and some beef brisket chilli for non-veggies)
served with
Pink pickled onions,
Polytunnel coriander
Mexican garden slaw
Mole verde, cheddar & tortilla chips
& Claire’s famous Cowboy roasties.
To Finish:
Decadent chocolate brownie with freshly whipped cream
(or ice cream for the kids!)
2:30pm - Back to our activities
After lunch (if you fancy it) we’ll get back to our potting, planting & painting.
3:30pm - Time to head home
The time: From 10am to around 3:30pm on Saturday 28nd April 2024.
The place: Laurelbank Farm, 121 Middle Road, Saintfield, Co. Down, BT24 7LS
The cost: This event is free for Farm & Feast Members (to find out more about the scheme, click here).
The refreshments: We’ll serve a hearty lunch and there will be plenty of tea, coffee & water to help yourself to throughout the day. Feel free to bring extra snacks for small children.
Dietary Requirements: Lunch will be suitable for vegetarians but if you have any other dietary requirement please let us know so we can plan the menu around your needs.
What to bring: Bring suitable clothing for the weather. We will aim to head outside for our farm tour even if it is raining. Bring sturdy, comfortable shoes if you have them.
Please note: This event is for Farm & Feast members only. If you’re not a member and want to find out more click here.
This was our first ever Farm & Feast gathering in 2022. I was so nervous (mainly about inviting small children onto the farm for the first time). Hopefully the weather on Sunday will be just as good!