In conversation with – Lucy Hutchings

Your Instagram account is incredible! How do you juggle it with your love of the outdoors?

“I have a love / hate relationship with social media. It has meant I have been able to open doors and create a career for myself. On that front it has always been really positive and I think, as well, there is a whole new generation of gardeners and chicken keepers who love the good life but don’t necessarily relate to the homespun image that is portrayed in the media.

“On the flip side it is not always that positive. You do become addicted to it. That part of it doesn’t sit well with me. There is a lot of negativity too; it is the minority but it is there and that is a shame.”

On to chickens! How did they become a part of your life?

When I got together with my partner Mike I had a tiny garden, but we carved out a whole corner and created an enclosure and got chickens quite early on. We have always had an ever-growing family of chickens and other birds so when I came across the BHWT I thought do you know what, I have the space and it would be lovely to be able to give a home to some needy birds which is what we decided to do.

“We have had chickens from breeders but the calmest, sweetest chickens we have ever had came from you.”

Do your chickens love stealing your fruit and veg before it gets to the dining table?!

I keep experimenting with what crops you can grow which will supplement their diet. Chard is a great one because it is easy to grow through most of the year and they love it.

They are in a fenced off paddock with quarter of an acre. There is one chicken that knows how to get out – we call her Princess Layer – but not one of them has had the brain wave to walk up the hill to where the vegetables are!

Find Lucy on Instagram @shegrowsveg and on her website at www.cedarwoodhomestead.com