Hope Springs Smallholding

17/06/2026

🌱 Fresh from the polytunnel… and still fresh days later! 🌱

We've been on a mission to find the best way to keep our salad leaves as crisp, tasty and fresh as the day they were picked.

We tried everything we could to avoid using plastic, but after lots of testing we finally found specially designed perforated bags that genuinely make a difference.

After a simple wash and spin in the salad spinner, our salad leaves are sealed in the bags and they stayed beautifully fresh in the fridge for 4–5 days. Better still, they still tasted as good as the day they were harvested! 🥬✨

For us, reducing food waste and making sure you get the very best from your veg box is incredibly important. These bags help us do exactly that, giving you more time to enjoy your fresh, home-grown leaves.

What would you rather have: completely plastic-free packaging or packaging that keeps your produce fresher for longer and reduces food waste? We'd love to hear your thoughts. 💚

🌿🚜

14/06/2026

A beautiful creamy leek risotto topped with crispy fried sage leaves – the perfect Sunday evening supper. 🌿
Empty plates all round 😋

Made with leeks, onions, garlic and sage freshly picked from the veg garden. These seasonal favourites will soon be making their way into our veg boxes,
bringing the freshest flavours of the garden straight to your table. 🧅🧄✨

08/06/2026

New residents have checked in! 😍
🦆 Runner ducks
🐥 3-week-old Bresse chicks
🐔 Bresse hens
Safe to say the smallholding is a little noisier, a little busier, and a lot more fun! ❤️🌿🐾

27/05/2026

21/05/2026

See our full Show programme here: https://issuu.com/gwpublishingltd/docs/heathfield_show_programme_2026
Come and join the fun on Saturday, 23 May - we'd love to see you!😍

21/05/2026

20/05/2026

Small Farm Training Group
Members only shout out!

Would you like to host a 'Meet The Members' event? These are held at a Member's farm, smallholding, allotment or garden. If you are a member and feel you would like to share your space for a few hours please contact Simon at [email protected]

We will organise the tickets and pay for refreshments, all you need to do is be up for hosting. These are good events for sharing knowledge, supporting each other and socialising.

You never know who you might bump into....

20/05/2026

Brambles and thistles: nuisance to us, luxury buffet to goats. They’ll be out there thinking, “finally, a properly catered event.”
meanwhile.... I'm mentally calculating the hay bill savings by the mouthful.🤗🤗🤗

12/05/2026

10/05/2026

Are you dreaming of having a smallholding?
Or perhaps you already have the dream… but want a little help understanding the legalities, practicalities, and realities of rural life?
Then this could be just for you.
Six years ago, I swapped life as a school Business Manager — tottering around in heels — for muddy boots, livestock paperwork, wet winters, and the wonderfully rewarding challenge of running my own smallholding.
Since then, I’ve learned first-hand about everything from CPH numbers and animal movement licences to raising livestock, growing food, surviving relentless Sussex clay/mud, and working towards a more self-sufficient way of life.
Smallholding life can be beautiful, exhausting, hilarious, heartbreaking, and deeply rewarding — sometimes all before breakfast.
If you’re curious about the lifestyle, planning your own journey, or simply want honest advice from someone who’s living it day to day, I’d love to help and this course could be just what you were waiting for🤗