Duchess Farms

Duchess Farms produces Duchess Oil, Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil from the Hertfordshire Essex border.

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This book is great! Such nice photos and recipes. Thanks @hoxtonminipress @rosiefoodie @helencathcart for making something so great #eastlondonfood #eastlondon (at Duchess Oil)

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Big lemon #giantlemon #lemon #dontgetlemon #lemonwithears #foodlover #duchessfarms #australiancattledog #blueheeler

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John the poacher brought me the nicest food and drink yesterday @e5bakehouse bread @squarerootldn bevs to go with some beautiful gin and I giant lemon and some cheese and salami just to top it off. Always welcome John! #e5bakehouse #heratige #bread #fifftyeightgin #squareroot #giant #lemon #cheese #salami #outsideeating #farmlife #duchessfarms (at Duchess Oil)

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@vrees27x doing her sort of farm work 😂🍷#summer #etype #jaguar #ducati #999 #wheelbarrow #wine (at Duchess Oil)

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Escorting the combine on a lovely evening #summer #harvest #harvest2015 #wheat #2188 #caseih #case #landrover #defender #110 #farming #farmlife #sawbridgeworth #duchessoil (at Duchess Farms )

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Harvest is always a proper team effort #harvest #harvest2015 #farming #farmlife #combine #tractor #wheat #KTM #motocross #case #caseih #7210 #2188 #summer #farmporn #sawbridgeworth (at Duchess Farms )

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This crop of rapeseed is so good we've had to get armed guards to protect it from @sjsmarsh and his firm #rapeseed #harvest #harvest2015 #farming #farmlife #case #ih #2188 #combine #guns #shotgun #armed #protection #duchessoil (at Duchess Farms )

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Wally loves sight seeing in London #London #tourist #dog #Australian #cattle #dog #acd #Mercedes #w124 #snazzy #dogcollar #duchessoil #trip

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Few things in the world make me happier, seeing kit being cleaned! (So sad I know) #farming #farmlife #duchess #duchessoil #case #caseih #magnum #7210 #7220 #tractors #simba #drill #drilling #spring #clean #kit #rolling #agriculture #food (at Duchess Farms )

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Butler's Wharf, so nice (going to hack the 20 sign down next time I visit) #London #butlerswharf #duchessoil #pointless #signs #litter the #UK (at Butler's Wharf)

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Beautiful morning being a tourist #London #tourist #work #towerbridge #butlerswarf #lepontdelatour #duchessoil #duchess #oil #food #heaven #sunshine (at Le Pont de la Tour)

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Dexter love at Duchess Farms #duchess #dexters #cattle #bulls #livestock #farming #farmlife #agriculture #feedingtime #duchessoil #spring #sharingiscaring #love #sheering #sawbridgeworth (at Duchess Farms )

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Magnums pulling like a train in the clay today, no stopping her! #case #caseih #magnum #plough #ploughing #farming #farmlife #agriculture #tractor #spring #beans #land #lovefarming #allday #happy #tractorporn #duchessoil (at Matching Tye)

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EB110 - a serious Bugatti (not the new chav wagon version) #Bugatti #eb110 #paris #retromobile #2015 #car #speed #90's #supercar #carporn (at Parc Des Expositions (Paris Expo))

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A photo from @dombaron who's been shopping today @harrods . #duchessoil #duchess #rapeseedoil #harrods #harrodsfoodhall #food #healthy #oil (at Harrods Knightsbridge)

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@harrods are now selling Duchess Oil www.duchessoil.co.uk #harrodsfoodhall #harrods #duchess #oil #food #foodie #shop #quality #rapeseed #rapeseedoil #London #England #happy (at Harrods Knightsbridge)

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This is a little album with a few pictures to illustrate life on the farm (roughly).

So from the top......

Photo 1.  A tractor cultivating, one of those very satisfying jobs (like smoothing your mash potato with a fork) and it needs to be satisfying because there's always so much to do! Tractor driving is obviously a big part of farming so you need to love it!

Photo 2. This photo symbolizes 'problems', In this picture we have the Defender on its side about to fall in a river. Problems come at your from all angles in farming but the one thing that's always the same is....it always gets sorted. You have to have the right sort of attitude to deal with the things thrown at you otherwise you cant enjoy farming, full stop.

Photo 3. Linked with problems (and no not my dad John's involvement in harvest;) but guidance with problems or things I'm not sure about from those who have seen it all before. Farming is an experience game and you cant get around that so being 25 and only running the farm for 4 years I need all the guidance I can get from people with experience, like Norman (left) there is nothing he doesn't  know about farming and I call him at least once a week and he always has a good idea or suggestion.

Photo 4. A photo of one of my Dexter's. I just love the Dexter's so wanted to post a photo of one! They bring diversification and have brought new life to a disused part of the farm and have had a fantastic impact on the environment where they live. 

Photo 5. Looking at crops, we constantly check the crops and look for any problems, pests or health issues that might be around the corner so we can plan for them and not let them destroy a crop or reduce its potential yield. This photo is of a rapeseed plant, its looking healthy and has a good tap root so I'm happy. 

Photo 6. Me selling Duchess Oil, the best oil ever! I takes a lot of effort all year to get a tiny seed to grow then be fit for harvesting then into a bottle ready for someone to use in there kitchen. So its all about the selling otherwise its not worth the effort of growing it, simple! Fortunately it speaks for its self so i don't have to test my salesmanship out too much (I'm rubbish)

Photo 7. Is just me in my element, walking between my two favorite (matching) tractors. A farmer is never as happy as when he has matching kit in one field!