Soil to Feast - an all ages celebration of Soil, Food and Farming

Date: Saturday 6th June 2026
Arrival:  Farm gates open from 1.30 for a PROMPT start for everybody at 2pm
Finish: We anticipate finishing our communal feast around 7.30 pm (with a possible small overrun)

This event is believed to be the first of its kind in the United Kingdom: a festival dedicated entirely to soil education for non-farming audiences. In this inaugural year, up to 100 participants of all ages will embark on a hands-on, multi-sensory  journey. Through activities from exploring soil, to discovering farm scale organic growing and crops, to hands on cooking guided by an amazing chef and baker you will  help to produce a meal made from produce sourced from the farm, the vegetable garden and local East Anglian growers.  We will all eat the results of our work together at the end of the day at an outdoor communal feast. 

As you travel round the farm on your rotation of actives, there will be soil experts, compost gurus, chefs, film makers and soil artists on hand to make this a fun and experiential day leaving you energised and excited about sustainable food production and the wonders of the stuff beneath our feet -  as well as being well fed!

All activities,  afternoon refreshments and the communal feast are included in your ticket price.  

If you have one, can you bring a picnic rug to sit on at the communal feast. Don't worry if not, we will have spares and lots of tables for those that would rather not sit on the ground!  There may be a pay bar for those legally old enough to purchase alcohol to consume during the evening meal. More details on that to follow.

There are some wonderful things to  see and learn..... here are some of the people who will be leading you

In the Soil Pit: 

Micheal Kennard - Compost Club

Dr Lizzie Sagoo  - Associate MD ADAS Sustainable Farming Systems

 In the Kitchen, Bakery and Veg Garden

Tom Walker  - Head of  Food Education at the Hackney School of Food previously Head Teaching Chef at the Jamie Oliver Cookery School.

Dominic Biddle - Micro Sour Dough Baker 

Gregory Harrison - Sunshine and Green Vegetable Boxes

On the Farm

John Pawsey -  Organic Farmer

Josiah Meldrum  - Bean and British Pulses pioneer and founder of Hodmedod's 

THE BORING BUT IMPORTANT BITS

1. This event  is suitable for approx ages  6 - 90  ( we think the afternoon will nor really suit very small children as the afternoon might be too long for them but if you have children nearing that age, they should be able to manage and just contact me if you have any queries. and see below if you have any accessibility issues).
2. No dogs except registered guide dogs allowed.           
3. Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult  ( max ratio 1 adult to 5 young people if you are coming as a group) and an adult must take responsibility for the behaviour of the younger people in their guardianship.
4. If you have any allergens to foods or anticipated reactions to the outdoor environment it is vital that you let us know in advance before booking so that we can make any accommodations possible in our planning. 
5. If you have accessibility issues it is vital that you let us know before booking to ensure that we can support you in the safest and most enjoyable way possible.  
6. Sorry, once booked, no refunds are possible.
7. We reserve the right to cancel the event for any reason in which very unlikely case your ticket money will be fully refunded in full but no other costs will be covered.
8. The day will involve being outside on a working farm walking on uneven ground in the open environment. We ask that you come dressed for the weather and with appropriate footwear as well as protection to keep yourself safe from the elements. We will offer lots of well thought through hands on experiences and will provide hand washing facilities however you are asked to join in at the level you feel comfortable with and your participation is at your own risk.   We ask that you follow any safety instruction given to you on the day.
9. For full terms and conditions please see our home page. 

We will do our very best to accommodate everybody so please do email us in advance of booking if you have any questions or concerns or things to tell us about as outlined above.

alice@shimplingparkfarm.co.uk 

We very much look forward to seeing you. 

"There is so much extraordinary life and science beneath our feet that most of us never see. 

We want families to leave that day genuinely amazed by soil and by the farmers who care for it 

and the food it produces" — ALICE PAWSEY, SHIMPLING PARK FARM