Slow Living, April 2021

With Easter and Chocolate Eggs now behind us moving into May, we return to the humble, chocolate free hen’s egg! With a nod to our new handmade harvest baskets, we encourage one and all to enjoy the simple pleasures of egg collecting and seasonal foraging!

Today we share the most endearing story of hen-keeping from founder Annie and her youngest niece Esmé, now too a chicken enthusiast and egg lover!

Spring is upon us and our chickens bask in the afternoon sunlight. Having grown up raising chickens and ducks, as a child I vividly remember the excitement of finding fresh eggs straight from the coop. It’s a fond memory I cherish and now relive through Esmé.

A proud mother to six hens, Esmé also cares for two goats and six ducks, she hopes for a llama or two someday! We often sit together on sunny evenings and watch the hens cluck and ruffle, her favourite layer always getting special attention. I ask Esmé what her favourite part of hen-keeping is, giggling she responds, ‘finding eggs in funny places, remember when Archer sat on one in the sand pit?’

Free-range birds are seasonal layers, slowing down or stopping altogether as the days shorten, starting up again when the sunshine returns. Here in West Wales, the eggs return the same time as the wild garlic comes up, resulting in endless combinations of quiches, omelettes and shakshuka. Ever grateful for the amazing addition these little birds bring to my family’s life, I encourage you all to take pleasure in the simple things, try a hand at foraging and make the most of the summer evenings. Just remember, don’t forget your basket!

See the full range of our handwoven baskets here!

Do note: all outdoor photos in this post were taken prior to the 2020/21 Poultry Lockdown