In conversation with Lady Bamford

Since 2017 the BHWT has been taking all the laying hens from Daylesford farms so each hen has the chance to live out a happy retirement as a much-loved pet after their working life has finished.

Daylesford Organic was set up by Lady Bamford and her remit from the outset was to work with nature, be guided by nature and to nurture nature. Over time Carole Bamford has set the bar so high in terms of welfare, sustainability and quality that she has won many awards for her achievements. In her own words Carole Bamford believes ‘our land is not a gift from our parents, but something borrowed from our children. Something to care for.’

We were lucky enough to catch up with Carole Bamford for our special celebration issue.

1. You are renowned for strong beliefs on sustainability & how we relate to the natural world, tell us more about that.

My family started farming organically over 45 years ago on our estate in Staffordshire. I knew we couldn’t carry on using pesticides and herbicides. We needed to find a way to produce food organically, sustainably and with the seasons - the way that nature intended.

Daylesford has grown and evolved since then – from a collection of empty barns and fields to a family of farmshops, cafés, cottages and much more – but my philosophy remains the same. I believe if you nurture nature, it will give back to you. Animal welfare is an important part of this, so ensuring that our animals live a happy life on the farm has always been our highest priority. I truly believe that the happier the chicken, the more flavoursome and nutritious their eggs will be.

2. Where do hens fit into life at Daylesford?

We now have several different breeds of hens at Daylesford, some rare, including Lohmann Browns, Hyline Browns, Amber Stars and Cotswold Legbars. All are free to explore our agroforestry fields, with plenty of wild grasses, herbs, fallen fruit, worms, insects and clover to forage and peck away at. Not only do our hens reward us with rich, golden-yolked eggs that we sell in our farmshops, but they also nourish the soil they roam on with their organic matter. This helps to keep the farm’s ecosystem diverse and thriving, which I am incredibly grateful for.

3. What sort of home do you believe makes for a happy hen?

Unlike some of the larger animals we have at the farm, hens have simple needs. If they have access to plenty of daylight, space to roam, grubs to forage for and are free of stress, hens will live and lay quite happily.

4. Do you have a favourite breed of hen, if so, why is that?

Legbars are a traditional British breed that I particularly love. They’re famous for their beautiful pastel-blue eggshells, which range from a creamy, very pale colour to a delicate green. Legbar hens are a minority breed in the UK, so I’m proud to be supporting their survival. They are a little shyer than some of our other breeds such as the Amber Stars. These girls have creamy white features, striking red combs and seem much nosier.

5. How do you apply the core beliefs of Daylesford to your hen's lives?

We believe in working with nature, rather than against it, so our farmers do all they can to support our hens’ instinctive behaviours. This means that they enjoy a varied, organic and forage-based diet. Our hens are truly free-range animals, able to wander out of their arks and into the field to enjoy the sunshine and search for insects and seeds in the grass. When they’ve devoured all the vegetation, we rotate the chicken houses into the neighbouring field to give them fresh ground to explore. When I visit our hens at Daylesford, I’m always struck by how curious and confident they are -indicators that they’re happily in tune with their natural instincts.

6. On your farm in Staffordshire you have a unique set up with an organic flock, tell us about that.

Our Staffordshire farm is home to the table chickens that we sell in our farmshops, rather than hens for eggs. The operation is unique in that we own the entire process and can trace the story of each bird from egg to table. It begins with our parent flock of hens that lay the eggs. These eggs are then hatched in our own organic hatchery, moving to our brooder sheds as day old chicks and out to range freely 4 weeks after that. At 70 days our chickens are processed just a mile away at our small organic onsite abattoir. It means that our chickens are organic from birth – there is no conversion process – and to our knowledge Daylesford is the only organic farm to do this.

7. When the hens have stopped laying what happens to them?

Our hens can stay with us for up to two seasons before their laying reduces below commercial needs and they are taken in by the British Hen Welfare Trust. They work to rehome hens with other farmers and families looking to adopt slower laying hens for their garden. We are lucky to have been working with the charity since 2017, over which period they have rehomed over 13,500 Daylesford Organic hens.

8. If you had a top tip for someone who wanted to be more mindful of their consumption, especially related to animal products what would it be?

Sustainable, regenerative farming is an important part of our organic ecosystem at Daylesford, so I do believe in eating meat, but less of it and higher welfare. Eating animals that have been reared with care and consideration is a priority, as is a ‘nose to tail’ attitude in my consumption. For example, choosing cheaper cuts of meat and using bones and offal in stocks and sauces to waste as little of the animal as possible.

The world cannot go on producing and consuming meat at its current rate, but by making small adjustments we can all play our part in helping to protect the future of our planet.

9. Do you have hens at home? Do they have names?

Yes, I have 14 at the moment. Feeding them every morning and listening to their grateful clucking is one of the highlights of my day. If I leave the door open, they’ll sometimes follow me into the kitchen. Some do have names – Treacle is one of my favourites.

Read more about life at Daylesford in Lady Bamford's new book Daylesford Living: Inspired By Nature (Vendome, 2024) which is available now.