Conjure up an image in your mind of a fairytale farm, and if it’s anything like mine then it’s a beautiful old country farm with acres and acres of lush greenery tumbling in to the distance. There are cows wandering in fields and lambs feeding from their mothers. Perhaps there’s a little Tea Shop with cabinets full of the sweetest smelling homemade cakes? Maybe there’s even a Farm Shop selling fresh produce, oh and a Vintage Shop inside an old barn…and a knitting lesson going on just around the corner?

Well, before our imaginations run wild let me just say that this fairytale farm is as real as can be. You’ll find it nestled in the picturesque village of Ardeley in the heart of Hertfordshire, and it goes by the name of Church Farm. It describes itself as a place for wildlife, beauty, diversity, community and people, and all of this is true, but to me Church Farm is a place to fall in love with the countryside, with everything British and with that pretty vintage dress tucked away in the back of the old barn. It really is like no other farm I have ever visited – it’s utterly ‘perfick’.

TiYK Top Tip! If you’re visiting, ask if they will be doing any farm tour that day. You’ll sit in a trailer and one of the farmers will pull you around on the back of his tractor whilst giving a fascinating talk on the farm. It really is fascinating!

Image courtesy of London Permaculture on Flickr