In March, we were lucky enough to be invited to spend an amazing weekend with the lovely people who run The Garlic Farm in Sandown on the Isle of Wight. Not only did they welcome us with open arms, they gave us a personal tour of their farm – letting us spend the weekend with them, learning about what they do and why they do it.
The Garlic Farm
April 10, 2018
Colin and Jenny Boswell run the farm with their children Natasha, Josephine and Hugo. The Boswells are the heart of the farm and are garlic experts who have travelled around the world, from California to Kazakhstan, to find and create one of the largest garlic collections in the UK.
We like to think of them as part of our extended FatFace family. They don’t work for the company — they’re out there doing their own thing and owning it. Just like us (and you), they’re looking for something that’s more than just ordinary. We hope you’ll be as inspired as we were when you find out more about them…
Colin & Jenny Boswell
It all began in the 1950s, when Colin’s parents moved to the Isle of Wight for a better life. They gained more than 139 acres at Mersley Farm in Newchurch — starting the family business with only one cow— and began to grow sweetcorn. One of their first customers was the US Air Force!
Their eldest son Colin moved back to the Island in the 1970s with his wife Jenny and started to grow garlic. Both of them embarked on a journey, travelling around the world to learn everything they could about garlic. Did you know there are 35 varieties? Pretty impressive!
Natasha, Hugo and Josephine
Just like their parents, Natasha, Hugo and Josephine love all things garlic! And Natasha is a proper garlic expert. She’s published two books about it: 'Garlic: The Mighty Bulb' and "The Goodness of Garlic: 40 Amazing Immune-Boosting Recipes". She now helps to run the farm with her husband Barnaby.
Their son, Hugo, manages the cottages, yurts and The Garlic Farm website. The Garlic Farm have seven self-catering cottages and three luxury yurts – we were lucky enough to stay in Mill Cottage and Kiln Cottage. Both cottages are converted barns from the 17th and 18th century, with easy access to the gift shop, café, football pitches and tennis court.
And there’s Josephine, who helped to set up the famous Garlic Farm gift shop and café. She now runs The Garlic Farm Field Kitchen, which caters for all kinds of events and festivals, bringing garlicky goodness wherever you are!
Three things you must try at The Garlic Farm
1. The café
In our humble opinion, The Garlic Farm café is one of the best eateries on the island. It offers a variety of delicious food options, from hot chocolates and cakes to homemade soups and garlic bread. And true to their name, you can find items on the menu that are infused with garlic. Could it get any better?
As an added bonus, if you’re an animal lover (which we totally are), breakfast can be enjoyed with a view of the visiting red squirrels and peacocks that live on the farm. It’s such a great way to experience life on the farm.
2. Flint Collecting
You might be wondering, what is a flint? While at the farm, Colin educated us on the history surrounding flints; they’re hard grey rocks that were used during the Stone Age to make tools such as arrow heads. They offer flint collecting as a fun activity, perfect for keeping the kids busy.
When collecting your flints, check out The Garlic Farm educational centre, which is full of weird and wonderful facts that will have the whole family intrigued.
3. The shop
Our absolute favourite — being able to take home a part of our stay. The Garlic Farm have created their very own sauces, from garlic mayo to their Vampire Slayer Hot Sauce (get it?), and they’re absolute garlic heaven. You may find yourself in awe of all the things garlic can be infused with — we couldn’t stop looking at all the different kinds of mayonnaise you can get! But our personal favourite was ‘A Wight Little Pickle’. Grab some for yourself and you’ll see why…
And there’s more — while we were visiting The Garlic Farm, we invited bloggers Fifi, Immy and Jordan to join us. Jordan's written us an amazing post of their weekend at the Garlic Farm, which you can read here.
Plan your visit to The Garlic Farm here — remember to share your adventures using #fatfaceadventures