I think that when the sun is out and the countryside is in full green mode, there’s no place more beautiful than Northumberland; a place that truly nourishes my soul.  Yesterday was one of those days. Driving along the back ...

Every year I feel myself being pulled out of the doldrums of The Long Brown Northumbrian Winter by the first signs of spring. Birds wake me up, green buds abound and the lawn goes from static to crazy; oh, for ...

Vicky Moffitt, of Vallum Farm on Hadrian’s Wall, shares the trials and tribulations of the Kitchen Garden which supplies produce to the farm’s weddings and events, and Restaurant Pine. Vallum, Military Road, Newcastle, NE18 0LL, tel 01434 672 652, www.vallumfarm.co.uk Well, ...

It’s that time of year; very wet, damp, cold, muddy, dark and everything else unpleasant. The plants in the pots my friend at Tom and Jo’s in Wylam made for me continue to bloom and grow against the odds. I’m ...

Some years ago, I saw a crowd funder for a new type of beehive developed by farmers in Australia. Their story went viral, they raised way more than they needed, and I became the owner of one of their founding boxes. ...

I feel like Vallum has gone through a sort of rejuvenation during lockdown.  It’s as if the world stopped and we had a chance to make the big decisions we never have time to fully consider.   And so it must ...

It’s been a funny old day, as Arkwright might have said; only it’s been a funny old several days. Months, actually. Mark has been growing up a storm in the polytunnel, whilst we’ve been enduring enforced closure with lockdown and ...

When the wind and the rain are playing havoc with EVERYTHING it’s very hard to have any enthusiasm for ANYTHING!   Just getting in and out of the car is a challenge, and my brain seems to be left behind ...

Vicky Moffitt, of Vallum Farm on Hadrian’s Wall, shares the trials and tribulations of the Kitchen Garden which supplies produce to the farm’s tea room, restaurant tipi, and wedding and events venue. Vallum, Military Road, Newcastle, NE18 0LL, tel 01434 ...

Winter is definitely here and the first frosts are freezing up the poly tunnels. Here at Vallum, we’re preparing for dark days, working on our menus for private Sunday lunches and gatherings in our cosy Tipi, and a special Tipi ...