‘Wilding’ at Trewoon Farm

On Sunday September 8th a small group of 10 gathered at Trewoon Farm, just outside Newtown St Martin, to wander around the land and eat some soup. What has happened there has been a mixture of neglect and curiosity. During a visit from the Woodland Trust a few years ago, we got the advice to have a read of Wilding by Isabella Tree. We duly read the book and sufficiently inspired by it, we decided to sit back and see what would happen through healthy neglect. It has been an interesting few years, to watch the seasonal and annual changes in wildlife. It is a long term project and we don’t have pigs or horses to mess up and fertilise the land. Nevertheless, we have seen self seeding oak trees, an increase in insect life and changing flora. Anyone who wants a more detailed view of what has happened over the last 4 years can read Carolyn’s blog - in my wildest dreams https://inmywildestdreams.wixsite.com/wild/blog 

We sat around for a good while chatting and ate the said soup. People kindly brought along other food and cakes, which were enjoyed with tea and coffee. Someone liked the soup enough to ask for a recipe, so here it is.

Tomato and butter bean soup

Ingredients

Butter beams, chopped tomatoes, Herbs de Provence, lemons and chopped parsley for garnish

I can of butter beans, rinsed through to 2 cans of chopped tomatoes.

Cut up a couple of onions and fry in a saucepan with some Herbs de Provence. Add in the butter beans and tomatoes when the onions have become transparent. Cook for 10 minutes and add the juice of a lemon. Garnish with chopped parsley.

It really is that simple, and appropriate for my level of cooking. Cooking the evening before works well as leaving it overnight allows the flavours to come up. Served up with warm baguette and ample amounts of grated cheese.