From fertile fields to award-winning spirits, Ramsbury Estate is proving that modern farming is about much more than agriculture. Simon Horsford explores a remarkable Wiltshire estate where diversification, sustainability and a deep respect for the land go hand in hand
Farmers have never had it easy and in recent years their job has been getting tougher. It’s not just Jeremy Clarkson that has been saying this via his bitingly honest reflections on the Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm as he suggests “farming is on its knees” – there have been frequent “tractor protests” against various governments and in 2023 farmers and food leaders sent a letter to the “big six” supermarkets urging them to “get fair on farming”.
So what’s the answer? For many diversification offers some hope of remaining competitive or even surviving in the agricultural industry whether that is via new income streams, technology or changing working practices.
For an example of what a modern farm/estate can look like, take Ramsbury Estate in the Kennet Valley. Made up of 19,000 acres – including 7,000 acres of farmland – it stretches into north-east Wiltshire, west Berkshire and north Hampshire. Growing, via various acquisitions, from 3,000 acres in 1997, it now encompasses everything from farming and forestry to brewing, distilling (gin and vodka) and education. It also includes a lovely pub with rooms, The Bell, in the picturesque village of Ramsbury.
On a tour round the estate in a Land Rover Defender with brewery and distillery general manager Nik Fordham – who doubles as the estate’s master distiller – he gives us a detailed insight into everything that goes on here, from diversification and the importance of technology to sustainability and why everything in the surrounds is so crucial to Ramsbury’s ethos. As we reach a rise overlooking an expanse of land stretching into the distance, Fordham says “all of this is ours” and you get an impression of the immensity of the project.
Listening to Fordham, what comes across is the immense pride and care that goes into managing Ramsbury from all those involved and what makes it tick. He emphasises “we are just custodians”; the ultimate aim is to leave the land in a “better condition than when [we] found it.”
Whether you love him or loathe him, Clarkson has done a huge amount for farming.
Nik Fordham
To this end, he shows us some of the machinery and tech involved in managing such a large operation – a £750,000 combine harvester equipped with an extraordinarily precise GPS system, huge tractors and a vast grain room with an advanced computer and camera system, which sifts the good grain from the bad. Sophisticated soil analysis comes into the equation too at Ramsbury and shows how remarkably technical and scientific successful farming has become. It’s a long way from a horse and a plough.
Fordham joined Ramsbury in 2022 and his knowledge is driven by his background in chemical engineering (he worked for Unilever and Johnson & Johnson) “perfect for distilling” before joining Chivas Brothers, moving on to Bombay Sapphire, and then Tarquin’s in Cornwall.
He highlights the main challenges facing farmers today: “three or four areas impact margins, one is fuel and fertiliser costs [red diesel and nitrogen], which are inflated because of what’s happening in other geo-political areas. Then there’s machinery as the base rate of running a factory has gone up, so costs go up, and that’s been challenging. Farming also has a purposeful strategy put in place so if changes to government strategy [such as grants] happen then it takes quite some time to accommodate those and because everyone is going through the cost of living issue no one wants to increase their [spending] on food so you’ve got pressure driving the prices down.” And then of course there’s the weather, a while ago it was too wet and then we’ve just had a baking hot summer.
The biggest thing for me is to be aware of which activities create the biggest environmental burden and to minimise that wherever possible.
I bring up the issue of Clarkson and if he believes the TV series has been effective in raising awareness of farming problems. “I like watching Countryfile but they just haven’t raised some of the issues, although that’s changed in the past couple of years, but Clarkson, whether you love him or loathe him, has done a huge amount for farming. I remember the issues he had with the sheep, in effect there was no profit at all on them and then you look at the yields they were getting for some of the cereals he was growing. He’s done a lot by publicising these things. Of course, some of the scenes have been ramped up but the fundamental points are really solid.”
We pass cattle and sheep on the estate (there are small herds of Aberdeen Angus and South Devon cattle), but elsewhere it’s essentially arable, mainly wheat and barley, which go towards the production of their spirits, together with rapeseed (used for their own brand of rapeseed oil) and legumes. Elsewhere we glimpse part of the woodland (2,500 acres) some of which is for commercial use (manufacturing) and the rest for amenity purposes and driving environmental goals; among the trees are Norway Spruce, Japanese Larch, Corsican Pine and Douglas Fir. Meadows and orchards play their part too – one where we stopped for lunch was rife with damsons, quince and sloes – these might be utilised for the gin production, while the estate’s hives are used to produce Ramsbury’s own honey – sold in jars, or to flavour their vodka or gin.
The estate also accommodates pheasant and partridge shooting with 15 drives across downland and woodland (there’s a gun bus and game lodge), and guided fly fishing too for rainbow trout on the Kennet. Education is an important part of their remit too – a few years ago Ramsbury Farming and Countryside Education was created to offer schools, colleges and educational groups the opportunity to explore where food comes from and how farming shapes the environment. Farming students also come to the estate to help during the harvest. And enhancing the community aspect, the chef at The Bell runs occasional butchery masterclasses taking in how to prepare and butcher anything from venison to pork and poultry.
The frequent takeaway is that sustainability is the key to Ramsbury’s DNA. “The biggest thing for me is to be aware of which activities create the biggest environmental burden and to minimise that wherever possible,” stresses Fordham. That might be making use of spent grain to feed cattle and wastewater being filtered through the reed bed system to sustain a lake for wildfowl and wildlife, or using wood off-cuts to fuel the biomass boiler. Solar panels have been installed on the brewery and distillery in a bid to reduce reliance on non-renewable energy sources, while a small helical wind turbine (about the size of a tree) is also being considered by Fordham. This careful nurturing of the land has ensured there is an abundance of wildlife on the estate with Fordham mentioning barn owls, red-listed (endangered) house martins, bats, red kite, fallow, red and muntjac deer. And weasels – “exceptionally attractive but a bit of a pest when you have partridge and pheasant,” he adds.
A commitment to the land and the people… We will always continue to challenge ourselves.
In a fascinating diversion into the past from the present, we then drive through fields that were once the wartime base for the US Army’s E(asy) Company, the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, who were based here in the months leading up to D-Day. They are now better known as the “Band of Brothers” after Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks’ mesmeric 2001 TV series starring Damian Lewis. Also nearby, RAF Ramsbury was where another US company (the 82nd Airborne) flew from on 6 June 1944. It’s a sobering reminder of the region’s recent past.
After our circuit, we are shown the brewery where since 2004 barley from the estate and local chalk-filtered water have been used to produce an impressive and moreish selection of beers – “from plough to pint” as they say – including amber ales, a Farmer’s Best bitter and a couple of lagers.
Then it’s on to the state-of-the-art distillery, which started operating in 2015 and boasts a 43-plate copper still. From here they conjure up award-winning single estate vodka and gin using Ramsbury’s wheat and chalk filtered water; there are three vodkas (including one at 47% ABV), while their gins include one with raspberry and wildflower honey, a London dry gin and a sloe gin. Then it’s on to another highlight as in Stockclose Barn, we are confronted by rows of miniature copper stills and given the opportunity to make our own bespoke gin. Distiller John France carefully explains the process, which begins by choosing “our botanicals” (there are more than 60 on offer). Eight to 10 is the recommended number (you can use more but balance and subtlety are the key) and they must include the core botanicals: juniper, coriander seed, angelica root and orris root. From then on, it’s up to you if you want your gin to be floral (options include heather and rosehip), spicy (frankincense or horseradish, perhaps) or citrusy (maybe, bergamot peel) or nutty, sweet or herbal. I choose chamomile, elderflower, fennel and bitter orange and lemon peel adding it to the base spirit (vodka) before distilling it in the pot still and then bottling it. I label mine ‘Gunner’s Gin’ and to my untutored palate, it’s pretty good!
Should you not be distilling your own, the Ramsbury Estate shop sells bottles of beer, vodka and the gin. They also stock venison and beef from the surrounding fields, together with pots of the estate’s honey and bottles of rapeseed oil.
If ever somewhere summed up the oft-used phrase “from field [or grain] to glass”, Ramsbury surely is it with everything originating from the estate. But, importantly, it’s also a place which believes in being part of and engaging with the local community. They stage numerous annual events, such as the two-day Ramsfest (with live music) and spring and winter markets (with shire horses dressed up as Rudolph the reindeer) together with comedy nights and even a charity pro darts night; they also have sponsorship deals with the local cricket team and Marlborough Rugby Club.
Above all, says Fordham, Ramsbury is about forging “a commitment to the land and the people” – be that via sustainability, enhancing the environment, community work or producing a terrific range of beers and spirits. What’s more, he adds, “we will always continue to challenge ourselves.”
For details of tours, experiences (such as creating your own gin) and events go to ramsbury.com