A spectacular country estate that is hiding in plain sight near the village of Godstone, Surrey, Glebe House was once the home of Robert Harling, a former editor of House & Garden and friend to James Bond creator Ian Fleming.
These days, under the ownership of the Gregory family, the estate is working for its living with a smallholding, managed by Garry Dicks, occupying pockets of land alongside the unique country house’s formal gardens, lakes and woodlands.
Started five years ago, the project’s focus is on rare breed British animals, and while numbers are small there are now thriving communities of pigs, goats, cows and bees to be found.
A Godstone man himself, Garry worked at Godstone Farm for a time as a kid and always sought a life in agriculture. He went to college to learn the trade but found opportunities limited after leaving.
Starting a smallholding
Finding his way into estate management instead, a chance meeting with Glebe House’s new owners, Jo and Alan Gregory, led to him working on the estate and eventually starting the smallholding to help improve its sustainability.
“It was a little scary at first, as things take a little longer with rare breeds which require more time to develop,” says Garry, who works alongside his wife Debbie, a trained beekeeper, and Thomas Gregory, who is set to study a masters degree in agriculture.
“I’d got to the point where I never really expected to be able to do this sort of work, so I feel very lucky to be here. Certain breeds of animals become rare, mainly because they’re seen as uneconomical to the more commercial end of farming. So it’s a real privilege to be able to do what we do.
“At the moment, our main focus is on Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs and Dexter cattle. The flavour is unbelievable from these animals, so it’s well worth the extra time and care that’s required. We’re also starting to introduce goats, as we think they’ll work well here.”
Having originated in tougher climates than Surrey’s, the majority of the animals at Glebe House are hardy breeds and live free range outdoors for most of the year. There are handy shelters and plenty of trees available for the wilder moments the British climate can throw at them.
Making rare breeds work
To combat the economic issues that can be presented by working with rare breeds, Garry and the team are constantly finding new ways to improve the estate’s efficiency.
“Our biggest cost originally was the butchery, so we’ve installed our own butcher’s unit hidden among the outbuildings,” says Garry.
“Debbie and I did some training with Simon Taylor from Surrey Hills Butchers and we get a friend in who lives locally for some of the more complicated cuts. We’re learning all the time. Our produce goes towards our catering; a couple of local pubs; and to Simon for some of his charcuterie.”
The catering side of the business sprung up from a surprise opportunity, rather than always being at the forefront of their plans.
“We did our first event on a bit of a whim and sold out in no time at all,” adds Garry. “Going farm-to-fork was the smart way forward and we haven’t looked back since. As people have heard about what we’re doing, we’ve been asked to put food on at private parties, hog roasts at events etc.
“We’re hoping to get a little catering van too but that’s still on the ‘to do’ list. It would really suit festivals and potentially become a little mobile food shop, which we can sell other local produce from.”
While the Glebe House estate may have inspired authors and writers in recent generations, it now looks to have a bright future at the forefront of Surrey’s sustainable farm-to-fork food production.
With its mission to promote rare British breeds and to prove that slow food can often have the best flavour, we wish them all the best on their journey.
- This article originally appeared in Local Food Britain's monthly Meet the Producer food and drink column in Surrey Life magazine.
Tags: meat
farming
