Great Britain > Herefordshire > Life on a Potato Farm
By Jessica Lloyd

Straight From The Cows Mouth

Yes, it’s bloody freezing!
I have a black and white dog’s nose planted firmly in my lap, obscuring the keys as I type. It has no friends, and I have none either, so we have spent some time heavy petting in recent days. Everyone is out working the farm, which takes up enormous amounts of time and energy. They only have time left for eating and sleeping, it seems its harvest season for the potatoes.

The air is cool, but when the sun is out it is about a zillion times warmer (this means it is still cold). It is only the presence of fractions of sunlight that stops this place being a windy, cold, grey covered roll of small hills and valleys. Most days are cloudy, often rainy and always cold. The warm house tricks me into thinking when I step outside I will be greeted with the warmth of what looks to be a nice sunny day. It fools me regularly.

I now understand why they are called white people
Everybody seems to be tanless, and my arrival has sparked many conversations all along the lines of, oh so you’ve been abroad have you, look at that lovely sun tan. Nobody here has a sun tan; their skin almost seems to be in reverse, as far from a sun tan as possible. Some of the farmers have a ‘farmers tan’ which is forearms, head and neck (something like the golfers tan, but far from as gentlemanlike) but mostly they seem to be a red and white mix of mild sunburn and flour-and-water pasty.

Fascinating facts about potatoes
I am surrounded by farm machinery, large and small but mostly large. Tractors, trailers, forklifts, graders - all the tools of the potato production trade fill the yard and their huge tyres come dangerously close to me sometimes as I wander around gawking at things. I am certainly learning a thing or two! For example, did you know that really huge potatoes are often hollow in the centre? Or that when a potato goes really rotten in the field, it produces this nasty white stuff that looks like pus?

Another interesting thing is that once a seed potato is planted, it can produce over 30 times its own weight in extra potatoes in as little as twelve weeks. That’s a lot of potatoes! There are over 160 varieties of potato grown worldwide, but only one grown on this farm, a variety called Estima. It is a normal, average, run-of-the-mill potato.

Ancient houses made of stone
The farm house is 300 years old, and is made of stone. This is typical around here. This kind of stone is found in the ground locally, and is similar to the stones found in Spain flat slate-like rocks that make walls about a foot thick. There is a green and white coating of moss on the roof tiles and stone walls, giving it a rustic appeal. Showing its age, really.

Inside, the ceilings slant on what seem to me to be dangerous angles and bows, and many of the doorways are far too small for the people who have to duck through them daily. This is to keep the warmth from escaping into other rooms, or upstairs.

There are fires in the lounge, kitchen and library though none of these really gets used at this time of year for a couple of reasons. Firstly, its autumn (September) and it is only just becoming cool enough for the Country English to start wearing proper shoes with socks.

This is a definite turning point in the seasons, and its all down hill from here (except for the highlights of snow and Christmas!). Secondly, we live in the 21st century and some kind fellow invented the boiler/radiator system so the whole house has central heating now. Fires are deep-winter lounge-only treats. The others are blocked up to stop drafts.

It is impossible not to get lost, unless you have GPS in your car!
Outside the property are lots and lots of one-lane roads, leading every which way, around the county and into neighbouring ones. They are the support network of farmers’ roads, and none of them have names, just signs with three or four town names on them. Point and shoot. The maze-like fence hedges make tunnel vision compulsory, making sure if you do get lost, you can’t even look around you to try to figure out what the right way might be.

It will soon be dark early, about 5pm here, and there is a good chance it will snow around December just in time for my first white Christmas ever.

There are rumours of black panthers stalking sheep
The hedges along the road sides are actually sometimes made of holly, which I was delighted to discover - I’ve only ever seen plastic holly! Also growing are hazelnut bushes, which the squirrels nibble on. Squirrels and foxes are the local animal inhabitants (apart from, of course cows, sheep, pigs and chickens), and there are rumours of black panthers stalking the countryside, eating sheep for their dinner. This is a bother for farmers, but exciting for me.

Wales is only a stones throw away
Nearby is the border of Wales and it looks like a big man-made mound, with a flat top. It’s a natural formation, and is a popular destination for tourists who like walking, plus giving great views of all around. It is possible to cross the ridge and walk back down another nearby ridge called The Cats Back. It does indeed look like a lying-down cats back. There are lots of quaint villages near here; some of the likes are Abergavenny, Hay-on-Wye and Ross-on-Wye with local festivals like the Abergavenny food festival and literary festival.

Overall, much to do and see in these parts, but you won’t find people rocking around the clock too often! If you are interested in English or Welsh history, this is a great place to start. It is an excellent base to discover the English countryside at its finest. Summer is the best time to visit, but lots of people come for weekends away from the city or bring the kids for family holidays.

Accommodation
Holt Farm Holiday Cottages
Four 17th century stone cottages, self catering, with all the mod cons, sleeps from 2-8, or group up to 23 people
Contact: +44 1981 510238 Email: holtfarm@onetel.com

Links
England