Hello everyone!

September at Copsegrove seemed to arrive and disappear in a flurry of lots going on around the place!

Here’s a short (I promise to try) round up…

The farm is green again! The cows are enjoying a late crop of juicy lush and thick grass that the rain and warmth this month has provided them. This will hugely help us to eek out the remaining hay bales from our summer crop, that have prematurely been tucked in to through the dry parched months of July and August. It’s a bit like doing a massive food shop on a Friday to fill the fridge and cupboards at home with goodies supposedly due to last a whole week, and then the kids and partners come home and devour the whole lot in 2 days flat, leaving the cupboards bare for the rest of the week….(this seems to be a frequent occurrence in our house! ) The bonus grass is like an unordered food delivery arriving at the back door…delightfully unexpected and deeply appreciated!

Elsewhere on the farm, there has been much going on at the barn this month, to add to it’s storied walls!

Autumn Equinox Celebrations!

Last Wednesday, we held our much anticipated Equinox celebration, where we welcomed 150 of you to join us in the courtyard under a bright moon, to eat, drink and be merry. We all filled the long awaited Golden Globe, (Martin’s little summer project) with scribbled intentions for the coming season ahead, along with straw and wood until it was bulging and fit to burst. Meanwhile, the fabulous Boss Morris lit up the courtyard and every single one of us in it, with their music, dancing, vibrancy and wonderful energy. At the end of the night, we followed the Globe, whilst it dangled majestically from the JCB and made it’s way out to the Paddock. With an unplanned audience, Martin successfully managed to mount the Globe on it’s 10 foot pole in the dark, with Wilf and a whole host of other helpful eyes watching on shouting “left a bit”, “right a bit”, “ up a bit” and occasionally “STOP!”…and finally the Globe was in place, to be met by a loud rousing cheer from the crowd! The Boss girls appeared from the courtyard, and weaving through us all, danced down to and around the globe, before being given 4 large fiery stakes with which they ceremoniously set light to it, to more enthusiastic cheers from us all. And boy did it burn! Bright, big, bold and ferocious, with us all watching on, before it eventually gave a little nod, and a final bow, (which was not part of the plan, but actually quite fitting!)

We followed Boss Morris back into the courtyard for a final hurrah to some funky tunes, before everyone made their way home, hopefully feeling uplifted and energised for the Autumn ahead. It was a surreal and quite extraordinarily special night, and we are so grateful to all the Boss girls for their part in this. The globe is now looking a little sorry for itself, and rather misshapen after the great roar…however, Martin is dreaming up it’s reincarnation for something at Christmas time…so watch this space.

Please click on the film below to give a flavour of the evening!

Other events this last month.

The barn has also hosted 4 lovely and very joyous wedding celebrations this last month.

Four couples from Cheltenham, Stonehouse, Stroud and Nashville (as in Tennessee!) have celebrated their marriages with a diverse array of foods, drinks, speeches, cakes, music and first dances! Those walls have seen some dance moves, that’s for sure!

What they also witnessed this week, was a 2 day “conference” with some young, up and coming enthusiastic farm advisors from Oakridge Primary School! Class 2 came for their annual September Copsegrove Camp out, and enjoyed 2 days learning all about the farm, and what went on in the early 1900’s compared to what goes on here now, and how farming has changed over time, with particular reference to recent climate change. And then we set them to work asking for their ideas of how Copsegrove could move forwards…

They made dough and we all cooked pizza together in the outdoor courtyard kitchen, before retiring to the barn, sleeping bags, cosy socks and mugs of warm milky hot chocolate… not forgetting a bedtime story.

We may just steal some of their ideas, you never know…

The month ahead!

October is a little quieter, but we do have two lovely events taking place in the barn which you might like the sound of.

Copsegrove Sound Bath

Wednesday 7th October 2pm-4.30pm

If you are looking for something peaceful to lift and feed your soul as we begin to hunker down for the Autumn and Winter ahead, this may be for you!

We are delighted to be welcoming the return of lovely Angie Latham from Sacred Earth Sound Therapy, who will be delivering another very special Gong bath for those wishing to enjoy the beautiful sounds of the gongs and other instruments, and deeply relax in such a special old building. The barn has proven to generate a very beautiful acoustic that will make this a gong bath like no other!

All you need to do is lie back, relax, and let the beautiful sounds and surroundings work their magic!

At the end, there will be tea and homemade cake and flapjacks, and a chance to mingle gently for those of you that feel like it, before you float home, feeling fully restored and revitalised!

There are a few spaces left if this tickles your fancy.

A Celebration of local Harvest – Our Copsegrove Food Mile Feast– Friday October 16th

This feast sees a return to our lovely traditional feast evenings, where we cosy up inside the beautiful old barn, with the giant fire stoked, the tables long and sociable, so that platters of scrumptious food and conversations can be shared with friends, both old and new.

We shall celebrate Harvest time, and particularly the wonderful local produce we are so fortunate to be able to enjoy, with our very special Copsegrove "Food Mile" feast, where we challenge ourselves to put on a feast created from as much gorgeous local and seasonal produce as possible, from within just a single mile of the farm boundaries (Chef Ian included)!

Talented Ian will create a resplendent feast showcasing both Copsegrove Welsh black Beef and Venison, alongside freshly harvested vegetables grown and supplied by Ashley Dickenson from the Bisley Farm Shop. There will be fruits from our trees and hedgerows sweetened with dollops of honey from our Copsegrove hives, and our tables will be beautifully adorned with foliage from the farm’s Autumnal colourful berried hedgerows.

We are very fortunate to be welcoming the talented young local musician, Coco, to the Bull Pen Bar! We will be able to enjoy her soulful singing whilst supping a rather scrummy welcome drink (Spiked Apple Spritz) made with apple, ginger and rum! ( Mocktail version available - Spiced Apple Spritz!)

Ian has now perfected his Autumnal menu which you can find below, but please be aware that vegetables served on the night will be dependent on what is available locally the week of the feast.

There are a handful of tickets left, should you fancy a fine Autumnal feast with us soon!

Christmas at Copsegrove

Christmas feasts Friday 11th December and Friday 18th December

If you fancy something a bit special with friends and family, then you may enjoy one of our Christmas feasts.

They will be mighty festive and fun, with a delicious bountiful spread of food, some jolly live music, and perhaps a Christmas sing song for those of you feeling in the mood.

A full menu to follow soon, but you can expect homemade breads, beef tallow to dunk it in to, starter, main of Copsegrove Rib of beef with delicious vegetable sides, pudd and sweet treats, with veggie options available!

Carols in the Courtyard at Copsegrove

Monday 21st December 5pm – 7.30pm

If you love nothing better than belting out a few carols before Christmas, then this might appeal! Please do come and join us for a relaxed and fun sing song of some traditional Christmas carols in the courtyard, with the odd Christmas song thrown in for good measure!

We are delighted to have the fabulous and very jolly Daan and Helen Temmink with us to lead the singing for the evening.

There will be copious mulled wine, steamy hot chocolates for the kids, and Ian has promised to rustle up some simple yet delicious food to keep us going including warm sausage rolls, plenty of mince pies, and a bowl of hearty Copsegrove beef stew ( veggie stew on offer too!) for those whose tummies may be rumbling. Martin and Wilf will be turning the courtyard in to a very special Copsegrove Winter wonderland, which undoubtedly will be a sight to see in itself! It should be a really magical evening, its my favourite event of the year, but then I do love a good “Ding Dong Merrily….”

Tickets are on sale from Novermber 1st, pop the date in your dairy, as we have limited availability, so do be quick if you are keen to join us!

And that’s me done for now! Well done if you have made it to the end!

Our huge thanks, as always, for your interest in and support of Copsegrove. We hope very much to see you again soon in the not too distant future!

Warmest wishes,

Kate

Purchase all event tickets here!

People we love to work with!

Boss Morris - https://www.bossmorris.com/#home-section

Ian Ballantyne - https://www.thefamilymeal.co.uk

FleaBee Films - https://www.fleabeefilms.com

The Stroud Wine Company - https://stroudwine.com

Angie Latham, Sacred Earth Sound Therapy https://www.sacredearthsoundtherapy.com/about.html