Back To The Land

Kevin Alviti loved his upbringing on a farm and was determined to give his children the same opportunity. He now has a thriving smallholding

- Kevin Alviti

At the foot of the beautiful Malvern Hills lies the five-acre smallholding Kev Alviti and his wife, Claire, have called home for the past six years. They moved in two days before Christmas, and just three weeks before their first child, Evalyn, was born.

“We were surprised to even find a house with land we could afford. Earlier in the year we had seen a smallholding sell at auction for double the guide price, so we’d almost given up!” said Kevin.

On the verge of losing hope, the couple happened upon a 1950s brick-built semidetached farm workers cottage. Unusually, it came with five acres of land.

“I grew up on a farm and loved my upbringing; I was determined to try to give my children the same type of experiences. I’ve also been obsessed with self-sufficiency my whole adult life!” he said.

Captivated by the River Cottage TV series, an 18-year-old Kevin was bitten by the self-sufficiency bug. Since then, he has dedicated his life to acquiring as many skills as he can. Even his trade, as a carpenter, was learnt due to its benefits for his chosen lifestyle.

Before moving to their current home, their large village garden had turned into a mini farmyard. The lawn accommodated several chicken areas, housing a dozen hens that they bred themselves. The top half of the garden consisted of raised beds, two greenhouses and a workshop. They also had two allotments in a nearby village where they grew fruit and vegetables.

“I can never understand someone who wants a smallholding and doesn’t yet grow anything,” he said. “I was using every inch of space we had; I really had outgrown it!”

Their new home is in a small hamlet of five houses, a prerequisite for Claire moving there as she didn’t want to live somewhere too isolated. It’s also a mile from a thriving village, with a butcher, library, school, shop and post office.