A dream of working in the organic food industry, and being successful, is fast becoming a reality for one couple in Oxfordshire.
Paul and Clare Sykes run Clare’s Organics, an organic chicken farm with a monthly meat box scheme that also supplies meat from other local farmers. The couples hard work and determination has recently been rewarded by receiving a Highly Commended in the Soil Association/The Times Organic Food Awards.
Making the move into organic farming meant the couple had to make some difficult decisions, as Paul explains: "Three years ago I was a commercial truck salesman and although I enjoyed my job and was very successful, deep down it wasn’t what I wanted to do."
"Clare and I both agreed that organic farming is what we wanted to do and being in our mid thirties we felt it was the right time to follow our dream. I gave up my job, we sold the house and rented a plot of land and started Clare’s Organics. We haven’t looked back since.
"It has been a hard three years and a steep learning curve but to receive this award, coupled with some lovely feedback from our customers, is really appreciated and proves we made the right decision."
Based in Near Faringdon, Oxfordshire, Paul and Clare have two thousand birds and are purposely keeping Westmill Farm small and easily manageable as Paul explains "birds are carefully raised in batches of around 300 and all my time can be dedicated to the chickens and I pay great attention to them.
"I concentrate on farmers markets, such as Notting Hill Gate and Stroud, we will soon be starting at South Kensington. These markets and the box scheme keep us very busy. The customers are keen to buy direct from the producer and know how the food has been raised."
Clare’s Organics were highly commended in the Tastiest Meat and Fish Section of the Soil Association/The Times Organic Food awards. The birds were roasted and judged for taste, appearance and husbandry, in total over 900 entries were judged over three days - stiff competition for Clare’s Organics and an even bigger achievement for Paul "I’m really chuffed that we did so well against such tough competition and to be highly commended in such company is a fantastic result."
Clare’s Organics strongly believe that their chickens free range life leads to a firm flesh and good flavour. Their Hubbard chickens are a slow growing bird, suited to the traditional free range life and known for their succulence and full flavour and are raised to Soil Association standards. The birds are given the freedom to roam from as early as 10 days and enjoy a rich, varied environment on the farm’s clover leys.
The bird’s well-being is of paramount importance for Paul "we have mobile sheds that we rotate around the pasture to keep it fresh. We don’t routinely use antibiotics and do all we can to keep the birds stress free.
"We’d like on-site processing facilities but, at the moment, birds are slaughtered locally, only travelling 20 minutes off the farm to a family run abattoir."
Good diet plays a big part in the taste and quality of the chicken and Clare’s Organics only use superior organic feeds - from Humphrey Feeds based in Winchester. Paul is more than satisfied with the product "Humphrey Feeds have been fantastic, the quality of their feed is second to none and always consistent.
"Even though I’m only a small producer and I don’t buy in huge quantities, I still get the same amount of back up and support. My rep from Humphrey Feeds, Anthony Harman, is in constant touch; if he hasn’t heard from me in a while, he calls to make sure that everything is still running smoothly. Obviously, starting in the way I did, I’ve often needed advice and Anthony has always been happy to help. It’s proper old fashioned customer service and that’s made a massive difference to me."
Anthony Harman, Humphrey Feeds Poultry Feed Specialist, commented: "Paul may be a relative beginner in poultry but he really knows his stuff and his attention to detail is phenomenal. Clare’s Organics is a real on-going success story and proves what can be achieved on an Organic farm with determination and hard work"
The future of Clare’s Organics is a promising one and Paul and Clare are determined to stick to their values and provide good quality meat, stop people feeling disillusioned with organic food and blend nature with everything they do, as Paul explains "We farm alongside nature and encourage it to flourish on our farm not pushing it out to the edge of our fields.
"We are happy with our lives, our business and with the decisions we made. We are passionate about food and believe in eating with the seasons, when things taste their best, and that treating animals with the respect they deserve makes for the very best produce. This is an important message and sentiment that we want to be associated with. Our customers tend to be in touch with what we do and what we want to achieve and this helps to cement our relationship with them."
