A Week on the Estate: Dry Buffs, Ash’s Tours & Awards Galore

Last week, we welcomed Ash Young to the Estate team as Tour Development Manager. “I’m primarily here to develop the new Estate birdwatching tours and visitor accommodation,” said Ash. “The vision is to develop three-to-four-night birdwatching tours for visitors staying here on an all-inclusive basis. The tours will showcase Estate produce by including all meals and drinks within the tour packages, ideally with 100% of the ingredients being produced on the Estate or by trusted local suppliers.

“I started last week and I’ve spent a lot of time on research and getting a feel for the Estate’s followers and customers. Getting your head around 3,000 acres of landscape is tricky at first. I’m seeing this job as a blank canvas. The Estate is primarily agricultural and we’re aiming to diversify into the kind of tourism and leisure that will put the region on the map in a way that supports biodiversity and sustainability.

“My background is in destination marketing and management. I’ve spent the past 12 months with Sportsbreaks.com developing and promoting worldwide ticket, travel and hotel packages for international sporting events including F1, the Ryder Cup, the Rugby World Cup and European football. Prior to this, I’ve worked to improve and boost the success of tourism destinations including York, Land’s End, John O’Groats, the Royal Liver Building, The Needles and Lightwater Valley.

“In my last job, I learned how many people are prepared to spend a lot of time and money following their sporting passions, even in an economic downturn. My personal sporting passion is golf and I play with a handicap of five. I think you have to be patient to play golf. You must focus on the next shot, which won’t go well if you let the last shot make you frustrated or angry. I think there’s a life-lesson in there somewhere. I’m a fair-weather player though, strictly April to October. I can’t bear playing in the rain.

“I’m not a birdwatcher but I’m keen to learn and get involved. I’ve spent most of the last decade in central Manchester but I love the countryside and I’m enjoying the change of scene. The vision for organised Estate tours is very much in its early stages. We’re thinking about what’s best for the visitors who love the Lincolnshire Wolds. Should watching or photographing wildlife be front and centre, or just one aspect of an overall enjoyment of the local landscape and hospitality?

“We might try a few test tours. We’d get up to 15 people at a time to come to the Estate and enjoy a range of outdoor activities. All we’d ask in return is that they give us detailed feedback so we can figure out what works best. This could be a memorable, exciting and (whisper it!) free trip for a few lucky volunteers so do watch this space for more news.

“These are exciting times on the Estate. I look forward to reporting back as the plan takes shape.”

Finally, we’re thrilled to announce that Massingberd-Mundy Gin won ‘Drinks Product of the Year’ at Lincolnshire Life Magazine’s Taste of Excellence Food & Drink Awards 2023. This is the third year running we’ve been nominated; Burrell’s Dry Gin won in 2021 and earned a Gold Citation in 2022.

Huge thanks to Tristan Jørgensen for creating a brace of gins whose stand-out quality continues to earn awards year after year. A big thumbs-up also goes to Daria and Anton for keeping the Massingberd-Mundy Distillery ticking over and for collecting the award.

Here’s Tristan: “Holy moly! I’m so humbled and proud. Despite me leaving for pastures new, Massingberd-Mundy Distillery is still proving popular amongst their loyal fans. Thank you to everyone who voted!”

The last batches of Tristan’s classics are available NOW while stocks last. Click HERE to find out what the fuss is all about and HERE to take a peek in the trophy cabinet with Tristan.

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