“I am a lot” open the fridge and throw
A life that is rooted in the country
“I am a organic farmer. We have been organic for a little more than 20 years,” explains Ben, his pride unmistakably than we can imagine in the smallest and perhaps most questionable -kitchens. The farm itself is a family matter with roots that reject generations. Ben’s mother grew up next door and his uncle still ends up in the area. “We are not pulled far,” laughs Ben, “we are in the part of Hereford in” not far “.”
The country here is exemplary – fertile, generous and “plentiful” in Ben’s words. It is a place where cows are satisfied with wild flower meadows and planted in May, selected from July and harvested until March to March. “We grow about a hundred morning vegetables,” says Ben. “Kale, long trunk broccoli, Cavolo Nero, salad and in the poly tunnel a few random parts, like chillies.”
Most vegetables of the farm are sold to Abel & Cole, an organic delivery service. “It’s fantastic to work with it,” says Ben. “It’s just very nice to have people with whom you can sit down and talk about fair prices. They are ready to work with small producers like us.”
Cook a Herefordshire Festival
Today’s menu is spontaneous, inspired by what is in the fridge: Rump -Steak from Ben’s cattle, green cabbage freshly picked and a dash of soy sauce. “I don’t have a recipe,” Ben admits. “I am very in one and open the fridge and throw something together.” The result is a HEREFORDSHIRE point of view for Bulgogi beef with local rump steak, which is marinated in soy, sugar, garlic and ginger, then fry on the grill and served with crispy kale and fried egg via rice.
The kitchen is a flood of activity: garlic is grated, ginger is peeled and kale is removed from its stems. “I think chefs cook quickly and brutally,” jokes Ben when a garlic press gives up in the middle of the preparation.
There is no excitement about washing the kale – “it is organic, it’s okay”, Ben shrugs the armpits – and cooking is intuitive, relaxed and full of laughter. “This is my lucky place,” says Ben, when the beef sizzles on the grill and the fragrance of caramelising marinade fills the air.
Agriculture, food and mental health
But life on the farm is not always idyllic. Ben is honest with the challenges of agriculture, especially the toll that can claim mental health. “It’s a really big problem in agriculture,” he says. “You have isolation, the pressure to be hard, this kind of poisonous masculinity … it is particularly common in agriculture.”
Ben’s openness is refreshing. He spoke publicly about these topics and even won the title “Third Fittest Farmers in Great Britain” Farmers weekly Magazine thanks to his legal profession for physical and mental well -being. “I still have my little consulting meeting every Thursday evening,” he says. “It’s great. Some things get a little bit and sometimes there is no natural career in agriculture. Most of the time, it only tries to get through from one year to the next.”
The changing face of British agriculture
Ben Weiß is about agriculture, as it is as much about adapting to tradition. An Oxford College sometimes has the country that he works, and part of it could soon be lost through the development. In the meantime, climate change brings new challenges: “Every year we only have a few floods up to sometimes six months under water. It is just so complex.”
Ben is currently investigating how agricultural practices in the context of a Nuffield scholarship, which recently led him to New Zealand, can both cause both cause and alleviate floods and dirt. “There is no silver ball,” he says. “We have to save water and think about what we grow and how we let it grow. We have to adapt.”
A meal that tells a story
When the meal comes together, sticky, hearty beef, golden brown eggs and crunchy kale, the conversation turns into molars. Ben’s mother was a submissive from Delia Smith; His grandmother cooked “real meals” every day. Now Ben cooks from scratch in most nights, often with the fields or the fridge.
The food is as honest and generous as the man himself. “Are you satisfied with how it turned out?” The question is how the first fork is tried. “Mmm. The ginger, the sweetness, the beef cooked perfectly. What a pleasure.”
From the fields from Herfordshire to the plate, the story of Ben Andrews is a memory that it affects more than just ingredients in good food. It is about connection – to the country, for the people who grow and cook, and the stories that make every meal unforgettable.
You can find more recipes and inspiration under a visit Enjoy your meal or Download our app – Because every kitchen has a story that is waiting to be told.
Find inspiration for more sustainable food habits – even if you are not quite as close to Field as Ben. Explore our guides on the Top sustainable foods And Sustainability Myth Buster To help them make greener decisions. Do you fancy Ben Andrews’s rice shell? Take a look at ours Filling shell recipes that you should consider for dinner tonight.
