A Week on the Estate: Winter Outlook, Vineyard Housekeeping & Buff Winners

We’re also planning to use sacrificial plants to protect the vines. Roses are ideal as they’re susceptible to mildew and aphids. Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea) as a dead-end trap for the spotted-wing drosophila (SWD or fruit fly) is another useful natural ally. We might even use sheep for a bit of organic de-leafing after the vines have had a few years to mature.

It’ll be at least three years till we get a harvest and it could be ten years before the vineyard is regarded as established. We hope to produce brandy-style liquor in the relatively near future and home-grown Lincolnshire wines further down the line. We’ve planted a range of grapes including Chardonnay, Reichensteiner, Solaris, Seyval, Muscaris, Cabernet Cortis and Pinot Noir, so there should be something for every oenophile.

Closer to home, we’re in the process of moving out of South Ormsby Hall temporarily so that major, sympathetic improvements can be made. Some of our residents, or rather their likenesses in oils and watercolours, are leaving for the first time in centuries. Instantly recognisable despite the bubble-wrap is the late-18th-century portrait of Ann Blackall (first wife of Charles Burrell) by the illustrious Angelica Kauffman (1741-1807). Incidentally, the beating heart of the Massingberd-Mundy Distillery is a 120L still named ‘Angelica’ in honour of this pioneering female artist.

At the newly restored Lake, Leah Furlong took a break from her photography course at Falmouth University to snap some fine action shots of waterfowl. It’s all looking very des-res for Canada geese, greylag geese, mallards and mute swans. There’s often a red kite knocking about too if you keep your eyes peeled, which might explain why the pheasants aren’t hanging around.

Out and about, Charlie and Louis took the pick of our native-breed Lincolnshire Buff chickens and Norfolk Black turkeys to the East of England Poultry Club’s Autumn Show at Stickney and came back with a bulging bag of rosettes and trophies.

They claimed several firsts, seconds and thirds, and bagged trophies for Best Cockerel, Best Pullet, Best Hen, Best of Breed and Best Opposite Sex. Well done to everyone helping to keep these charismatic breeds alive and strutting, not least the lovely people from the Lincolnshire Buff Poultry Society.

The year is flying by and Christmas is only a month away. Our succulent, high-welfare, farm-raised Norfolk Black turkeys and Lincolnshire Buff chickens can be pre-ordered now. We favour quality over quantity and stock is limited so don’t shilly-shally.

Our next regular click & collect sessions will run on 2nd December and 16th December at Wood Farm. We’ll also be hosting two special, festive click & collect sessions on 22nd and 23rd December at South Ormsby Hall. To read all about it and book your slot, click HERE.

Finally, we’re proud to be listed once again by NFU Turkey Finder, a searchable directory of British farmers producing poultry to the highest possible standards of welfare and sustainability. Many British poultry farmers are working hard to boost biodiversity, animal welfare and their local economies. When our lovely, loyal customers choose our produce, they’re investing in good rural jobs and a sustainable, forward-looking approach to farming.

Wherever you buy your Christmas bird, we encourage you to use NFU Turkey Finder and help your local farmer to keep up the good work. Let’s be frank: You may pay a little more, but you’ll get a succulent, flavoursome, farm-raised bird and you’ll be investing in a brighter future for our working countryside.

Thanks, as ever, for your invaluable support.

If you’d like to join the conversation, we’d love to hear from you. Just head to our Facebook page HERE and comment beneath the latest blog post. As ever, thanks for your support.