insideKENT Magazine Issue 100 - August 2020 | Page 11

KENT10
Celebrating 10 Years of insideKENT CONT.
A FRUITFUL
SUMMER IN
THE GARDEN
OF ENGLAND
BY JESS MARSHALL
TOP: HUGH LOWE FARMS BOTTOM: CLOCK HOUSE FARM
In the last 10 years the movement towards being
socially conscious has grown vastly. With grassroots
efforts to make the world a better place and global
movements crying out for action, it feels as though
everyone in 2020 is making a conscious effort to be
as eco-friendly as possible. When it comes to the
food we put in our mouths, that means not only
being conscious about seasonal fruits and veggies,
but also buying from local farmers who grow a
rainbow-coloured array right on your doorsteps -
and that has never been easier to do when you live
in the Garden of England.
In our first ever issue, we championed the importance
of locally grown food. In that article we profiled
Hugh Lowe Farms (www.hughlowefarms.com), a soft
fruit farm located in Mereworth; 10 years later their
slogan: ‘We are farming for a fruitful future’; is a
notion we can all get behind right now. Their aim
is sustainability, responsibility and fairness, when
growing their juicy, flavoursome berries. Berries,
such as strawberries, raspberries and blackberries
are available from the farm from May all the way
to November, so we can enjoy these juicy diamonds
well into the autumn months. Staff at Hugh Lowe
Farms are up at the crack of dawn in order to hand
pick each and every succulent nugget fresh off these
plants for their loyal customers. They have evolved
significantly over the last few years, and have made
improvements including a new training room for
staff, a new glasshouse, and the planting of their very
first vineyard. This is a farm that champions
innovation, and that is clear from the advances they
have made in the last decade.
Clock House Farm (www.clockhousefarm.co.uk) is a
family-owned business that was started in 1903 by
the current owner’s great grandfather. They not
only grow soft fruit such as strawberries, raspberries
and blackberries, they also supply top supermarkets
with succulent apples, fresh pears and divine plums.
Occupying a huge amount of land, a total of 360
hectares, Clock House Farm is looking to the future
of both farming, and our environment, and are
always looking for ways to become more committed
to sustainable farming practices. That includes
recycling programs, water conservation, and efficient
energy use that will minimise the industry's impact
on the environment; keeping the farm, and its
surrounding environment happy, healthy and
thriving. Flora and fauna are encouraged to bloom
on the farm, and the owners are careful to tread that
careful line of harvesting fruit in a productive and
intensive manner, and looking after the natural
wildlife that lives alongside their fruits. This wildlife
includes fluffy ducks, adorable hedgehogs and an
array of beautiful butterfly species. Putting ecofriendly
practices first is not always easy when you
have such an intense job to do, but Clock House
Farm is making this a priority so we can all enjoy a
better world, and better fruit.
In the last 10 years these farms have been doing
their utmost to support and encourage environmental
change, so next time you are indulging in a bowl of
strawberries and cream or biting into a juicy apple,
spare a thought for these local farms that are allowing
the people of England to enjoy a fruitful summer,
while ensuring the summers of our children will be
just as green, sunny, and fruit-filled as ours are today.
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