Henley and Marlow Lifestyle Nov - Dec 2021

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Amanda Owen The yorkshire Shepherdess Tells us about her life in the Dales Known to millions as The Yorkshire Shepherdess, Amanda Owen is the author of five best-selling books about her life on Ravenseat ,one of the most remote farms in the country, where she lives with her husband Clive and nine children. She currently stars in Channel 5’s popular TV show Our Yorkshire Farm and her latest book is Celebrating the Seasons includes stories, recipes and photos from the farm and is out now. I understand that you had had no previous links to farming, may I ask how you became so involved in this line of work? I grew up in Huddersfield and no one in my family is from a farming background. I loved the James Herriot books when I was a child, and watched the TV series. Because of James Herriot I loved the idea of being a vet, probably like most other children of that era, but was told at school that I was not academic enough to make the grades. One day in the school library I picked up a book called Hill Shepherd. It was a photographic documentary of hill farming in Yorkshire and Cumbria. Reading that book was an epiphany for me, the pictures of the hill shepherds on the moors with the sheep made me realise it was where I wanted to be. It ticked the box of wanting to work with animals in the countryside and importantly it also ticked the rebellion box as it was so the opposite of my townie life up until then. Years later after I had married my husband Clive, we realised that there was actually a photograph of him in Hill Shepherd! So it’s a very important book to me. How did you learn your crafts? One of the many things I learnt from your book was how important it is to get the grass in - in good time. I started out as a farm hand, and then moved on to being a contract shepherd, working on different farms all over the country. But really, I learnt everything as I went along. Most of my crafts came through natural progression, learning to ride a horse by riding it, learning to clip a sheep by clipping my first one, learning to work a dog, by taking the dog out with me for the first time. You can only learn what to do by doing it, you have to get practical on the ground experience. Nothing comes close to learning how to be a shepherd, other than actually doing the work of a shepherd and it’s not just about learning about sheep, it’s about learning about the land. With the grass it starts with the sheep. You’ve got to have your sheep in good order - we grow hardy stock through the winter, so it’s absolutely vital that you grow your crop well, so they have food to eat throughout the winter. You enjoy sheep shearing - were you nervous when you cut your first fleece? Of course, but you know, you have to be nervous in order to be any good at what you’re doing. If you’re lambing sheep you are dealing with nature first hand, but there is no room for you to have time to be nervous as you have to get on with the job. It’s you alone in that moment and it’s not optional to be nervous. That pressure makes you work fast. The first time I clipped, I would clip the sheep while the professional shearers were having their dinner, and they would encourage me or discourage me depending on what I was doing, and then the more you do it you get faster. You keep practicing and eventually you will get there. How do you spread yourself between 9 children - it must quite a noisy household at times? It is a noisy household. But we’re very privileged to live where we do which 12 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk
Traditional Farm Produce Christmas Turkeys Beef | Lamb Pork | Chicken | Game Free Range Eggs Open Friday 9-5 | Saturday 9-1 Tel: 01628 473 781 www.townfarmshop.co.uk Bisham Marlow SL7 1RR f Bakery | Patisserie | Tearoom | Chocolatier Family owned craft bakery and tearoom since 1942. Hand-crafted bread, cakes and pastries are freshly made on the premises. Monday-Saturday: 9.00am-4.00pm Sundays: Closed 01628 483389 | info@burgersartisanbakery.com f www.burgersartisanbakery.com l Burgers of Marlow Ltd, The Causeway, Marlow, SL7 1NF “Christmas Menu Available. Book in now for your Christmas Celebration!” As featured in the 2021 Good Pub Guide, Michelin Eating Out in Pubs Guide 2021 and Good Food Guide 2021 www.minervamagazines.co.uk | 13
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Henley and Marlow Lifestyle Nov - Dec 2021

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