Archive for 2019

In our latest podcast , Richard Vines of Wild Beef, Hillhead Farm (near Chagford) talks about how he built his business selling his beef into Borough Market, in London. He has found that his customers want to know how he rears his animals, the kind of a life they have on Dartmoor and where they…

One of the most interesting shifts in our attitude to food over the past 20 years or so has been the demand by consumers to know the provenance of the meat they buy. They want to know where it comes from and how the animals are reared. Animal welfare is high on their agenda. This,…

On 4th September last year, Anna Hill, on Farming Today (Radio 4), began with this question: “If British shoppers are spending £204 billion a year on food, why are farmers only seeing 4.5% of that?”[1] She put the question to Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at City University, and his reply was damning. In…

We all know that farming is going to change. The question is not when but how it will change. The Agriculture Bill and the Environment Bill both set out a direction of travel towards a more sustainable form of farming. As always, the big question is who is going to pay for it. Anna Hill…

Our pets give us unconditional love and are often one of our best friends.  They never judge or answer back, and they are normally pleased to see us.  However, our pets are never just pets.  They are friends, companions, working dogs, service animals or therapy animals, and for many people losing a pet is just…

Memorials and mementos are important links from the past to the present: they enable the living to remember those who have died.  This is usually at the deceased’s resting place, but with cremation on the increase many people no longer have a conventional grave to visit.  In 1960, only 34.7% of deaths involved cremation.  By…

Dying is expensive; there’s no getting around it, and the expense can come as quite a shock to those responsible for arranging your funeral.  In recent years, the cost of a simple funeral has risen sharply due to a number of factors such as grave shortages and local authorities increasing cremation fees. According to the…

Death and taxes are the two certainties in life.  Whilst we can’t prevent either from happening, we can be prepared. The benefits of ensuring that your paperwork is in order, and that it reflects your current wishes, are frequently underestimated: peace of mind comes from knowing that your loved ones will not have to tackle…

Many people nowadays are concerned that their assets will be diminished if they move in to a Care Home or Nursing Home in the future. According to Paying for Care* the average cost of a Care Home is £29,250 per year and if Nursing Care is required the average cost is £39,300 per year. In…

Many people, these days, will have some experience of dementia, whether that is via a family member or friend, or even themselves.  It is a devastating disease which, unfortunately, is on the increase.  There are a number of reasons for this, but longer life spans certainly increase the risk of it happening at some stage.…