The Farmers Mart Jun-Jul 2018 - Issue 57 | Page 52

52 WHASHTON SPRINGS FARM
JUN/JUL 2018 • farmers-mart.co.uk
WELCOME TO
THE FRIENDLY
FACE OF
FARMING AT
WHASHTON
SPRINGS
Chris Berry talks with Jane Turnbull near Richmond.
WHEN you’re the public face of any-
thing there are standards that need to be
maintained not just in cleanliness of your
venue, destination or in this case your
farm, but also in the manner you talk with
people, how you get on with others, how
approachable you are.
Jane Turnbull runs Whashton Springs Bed
& Breakfast from the home farm of Whasht-
on Springs just north of Richmond and
was runner-up in the recent AA awards
for Britain’s Friendliest Landlady based on
reviews on Trip Advisor. It’s easy to see
why as Jane has an endearing personality,
smile on her face and knows how to look
after guests to the B&B that was originally
set up by her mother-in-law Fairlie Turn-
bull. Typically Jane would rather talk about
others’ success.
‘Fairlie won the AA’s Best Farmhouse B&B
in Britain thirty years ago in 1988 and my
father-in-law Gordon is still fondly remem-
bered by those who still visit today for his
charm and patter while waiting on at the
tables. I fitted in well in the kitchen when
my husband David and I got together as
it was discovered I made a mean lemon
meringue pie. There was a really good
atmosphere in the kitchen.’
‘We still put on evening meals for spe-
cial occasions such as reunions, family
events and for shooting parties in winter
but it is breakfasts the rest of the time
that are my main cooking concern on a
day-to-day basis. I cook all the breakfasts
myself as I need them to be consistent
and I have another farmer’s wife Eileen
Braithwaite who waits on and gives visi-
tors advice on where best to go around
the area. I offer full English or continental
breakfasts and the heather honeycomb
still in its comb is worth trying as it is
absolutely delicious.’
‘We have eight rooms and years ago
we featured on the Wish You Were Here
TV show when Judith Chalmers came to
stay. We’re generally full most weekends
and midweek is a little quieter but our
visitors come back again and again. We get
a good trade in business men and women
coming to the area who want something
different to stopping in a town or city and
they particularly like being able to eat an
early breakfast so they can get off for their
day.’
Whashton Springs is very much a work-
ing farm with livestock and arable land. It
runs to around 1500 acres some of which
is rented from Lord Zetland. Gordon and
Fairlie moved here from Whitwell Grange
between Richmond and Northallerton in
the 1970s.
‘We’re more of an arable farm than
where I come from originally. I’m a farm-
er’s daughter from between Bainbridge
and Hawes, one of the Lambert family.
Here we grow wheat, barley, oilseed rape
and potatoes. We grow potatoes for seed
and also grade potatoes out to sell some
into the retail world. We have some good
fields on decent land. We also have 200
suckler cows and 1250 breeding ewes.
David and his brother Andy run the farming
operation between them.’
‘They have their own specific areas but
when there’s a specific time that something
has to be done it’s a matter of everyone
working together. When we’re on with
sowing potatoes there are at least five
working together and I do the customary
thing of making sure they are all fed by
bringing a meal out to the fields. Another
customary happening is me forgetting
something. The usual cry from them is
‘what have you forgotten today Jane?’
‘ Whashton Springs is
very much a working
farm with livestock
and arable land. It runs
to around 1500 acres
some of which is rented
from Lord Zetland
’
David talks of the farming operation in
greater detail.
‘The cattle operation is a closed herd
that starts with Salers or Aberdeen Angus
cows X with the Belgian Blue, we currently
have 25 of each; and we cross the female