The Real Rural Renaissance Isn’t on Instagram
Somewhere on Instagram, at this very moment, a dachshund is trotting purposefully across a frosted field in a pristine tweed jacket…
Abby Allen
Abby Allen is an ardent campaigner for slow, seasonal produce. Living in rural Devon Abby has spent the last 10 years behind the scenes of some of the country's most recognisable ethical brands.
Who Keeps the Countryside Running? It’s Not Just the Farmers
While farmers remain the backbone of rural Britain, they do not work alone. This is a celebration of the unsung heroes whose roles shape our landscape.
Moments That Stop Time: Finding Magic in Nature
In our fast-paced world, it’s easy to forget the quiet, extraordinary moments that nature offers. In this month's article I'm exploring the moments in nature that stopped people in their tracks.
The Words We Use to Talk About Nature Are Disappearing
The vanishing language of meadows, rivers, and rain reveals our growing disconnect from nature—and why restoring these lost words could help us care for the world around us.
Not Just Jam and Chutney: Why Foraging Is an Act of Resistance
As convenience replaces connection, we've lost the confidence to forage and preserve. This is a call to trade screen time for hedgerows, to fill pantries not bins, and reclaim the quiet wisdom once found in every countryside kitchen.
Threadbare: How We Unravelled the British Wool Industry
British sheep farmers once traded in gold, now they earn pennies for fleeces that shaped an empire. As synthetics dominate and local mills vanish, is it too late to save British wool—or are we on the brink of a natural fibre revival?
The UK’s New Food Strategy Leaves Farmers Hungry for Real Change
It took eight months, countless meetings and no shortage of egos to deliver a food strategy that offers more slogans than solutions. Meanwhile, the sector it claims to support is bleeding out.
Left to Labour Alone: How the NHS Is Failing Rural Mothers
As I near the end of my pregnancy in rural Devon, the promised choice of a home birth has slipped away. Behind my story is a wider crisis: maternity care in the countryside is collapsing and thousands of women are being left behind.
Where Will the Wild Things Grow?
With our future wide open, I explored the idea of starting our own small farm and uncovered the quiet crisis facing the next generation of farmers.
From Pillaging to Protecting Aquatic Life: it's Time to Act
Little has been mentioned about our oceans and our waterways, until now. Is our aquatic environment finally having its ‘regen’ moment and at long last taking centre stage?
Healing Through Nature: A Farmer's Mental Health Journey
Life in recent months has changed dramatically and it has led me on a journey of self discovery, questioning my own mental health and giving me a very different perspective on the burden that we as farmers continue to take on.
Navigating the demise of SFI - Lessons and reflections
What went wrong and how do we move on from the latest shock in agriculture.