The chef-turned-farmer
JULIUS ROBERTS would stare at the producers delivering fresh food to the Noble Rot restaurant in London, where he worked as a chef, and envy their sunny, healthy demeanours. By contrast, he felt withered from lengthy shifts in a scorching kitchen. Eventually, fearing the onset of burnout, he handed in his notice and headed for his family's holiday cottage and its eight acres in Suffolk.
'It was a leap of faith, but soon I found myself connecting with Nature,' reveals the former sculpture student. Mr. Roberts's first purchase was four hirsute Mangalitsa piglets that arrived in the back of their breeder's car. 'I watched them walk into their pen in the woods shell-shocked and then sniff and come alive. It was a defining moment for me. It made me want to change perceptions and show consumers how much intellect and sensitivity there is in animals and how important it is to shop right.'
Mr. Roberts, 29, set up an Instagram page to chart his sustainability story (@juliusroberts), which included, two years later, taking his pigs to slaughter. He now has 150,000 followers and various spin-off opportunities including a programme for Channel 5 called A Taste of the Country that will air at 7.30 pm on July 5.
Having now relocated to a small farm in Dorset, Mr Roberts is kept relentlessly busy caring for 50 Hebridean sheep and 30 British Primitive goats, a flock of Copper Marans and Cream Legbar chickens and his garden is overflowing with hearty vegetables and herbs. 'I generally sell goats for breeding and the lambs for meat,' he reveals. 'However, it's not so much about the money you're making; it's more about feeding yourself, as well as boosting biodiversity. It's a way of life that I love and I could never go back to the city.'
The goat-fleece spinner
Denne historien er fra June 29, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra June 29, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
