Our work

The 'Grow Your Own' Festival brings joy to the whole team - it is a time when we see the hard work of winter and spring coming out into plants and the start of some produce too. Our volunteers work throughout the year to produce vegetables and seedlings so that the community can start their own garden at home. We aim to inspire and support new gardeners in how to grow, forage and harvest their own produce.

With all the vegetables that we produce on the land, we saw a need to do something extraordinary with this food. This is when we discovered Pam, our Food Production Specialist, and her amazing flavours and creativity! Pam observes the land, forages and experiments with flavours and recipes to produce something exceptional for our customers to buy. In our Farm Shop, you'll see the 'Cake of the Week' is always a delicious new flavour and very popular. They have been so sought after, that Pam now takes requests for special events where she will create a bespoke, celebration cake working with you! Pam finds new ways in preserving our produce through fermenting, pickling, chutneys and jams. This prevents wastage across the Farm using as much as she can across the land. If you're keen to try a Pam 'special' then an event day is where you want to be! Pam designs exceptional menus in a street food style for our event days. Please check our event pages on Facebook to see when these will be available and to get those taste buds going as we announce her menu in the lead up.

Our first event of every year is all about celebrating the beginning of Spring! The Farmland is coming to life with blossom growing on the trees and the start of our own produce springing up from the ground. The Shop & Cafe was full of local crafters offering beautiful crafts, jewellery, decopatch, knitting and textiles! There were hot drinks flowing throughout the cafe as well as delicious hot cross buns by our supplier, Communibakes. During this event, we had two workshops available to learn more about our ethical practices and permaculture.

Our Emporium began as a simple swap space. It was an opportunity for people to bring things that worked but they no longer used, so someone else could benefit from it. Just like a book swap but the items could be anything! It started very small. Once we had our Farm Shop more established, we saw an opportunity to make this into a 'Pre-loved Shed' and our Shop Manager at the time created this into a space where people could bing more donations with a 'pay as you feel' attitude, all profits going towards our work on the Farm.

Why- We want to address two critical needs- health/wellbeing and environmental sustainability. We know the benefits nature and community connection have on people's health and wellbeing and want to provide an opportunity for people to connect with nature and each other in a meaningful way. We also want to encourage our community to invest in a more sustainable way of growing food and have an understanding of how we can better look after our environment. How- We host volunteer days 4 days a week, offering a welcoming space where people of all backgrounds can join our farm community and learn new things. Volunteers identify what they would like to get from their experience. Whether this is help into employment, building confidence, learning skills or managing their own health and wellbeing, we support them to achieve their goals. The farm does all it can to boost biodiversity and nurture the land. Permaculture principles are at our core. Every element of the farm is designed to work in harmony with nature. What- Volunteers engage in a wide range of activities, such as caring for animals, planting and harvesting seasonal produce, and maintaining natural habitats or helping in our shop. In return, they gain practical skills, environmental knowledge, and a deep sense of belonging. We currently have 30+ regular volunteers and see over 100 volunteers throughout the year.

Aldermoor farm does all it can to boost biodiversity and nurture the land. Permaculture principles are at our core; we do not use any chemical pesticides; we re-use, re-purpose and recycle all the we can; we harness the natural provision of the land to be sustainable, such as only using water from a natural spring on our site to water our farm using a water pump system; we enhance and maintain natural wildlife habitats such as our ponds; we use no dig techniques; we use composting systems (including a compost toilet!); and we keep and care for our chickens, geese and ducks (who help us a lot by snacking on slugs!). Every element of the farm is designed to work in harmony with nature. Key components of permaculture are earth care and people care. All our work on the farm is done by our dedicated volunteers and staff through the volunteer program, offering a welcoming community for all to join, where both people and land are nurtured and cared for. Volunteers have an opportunity to learn new skills and knowledge, enjoy some of the fruit and veg they grow, and make connections with others.

This year's Harvest Festival was held on a beautiful bright day and was buzzing with action. On our pergola was the most beautiful spread of farm grown vegetables, showcasing the hard growing work of all our volunteers and farm team. If you've been to one of our event days before you'll know to expect some tasty culinary delights from Pam and this event was no exception. Pam was next to our harvest spread on the pergola, serving a spicy vegetarian chilli with nachos. Her exceptional cakes, as usual, were being served in our shop to enjoy with a coffee. We had entertainment and activities happening throughout the farm, including crafts in the poly tunnel, live music taking centre stage in the middle of the farm, an autumnal wreath being made by Hannah, who hosts our Christmas wreath-making workshops, and apple pressing at the top of the farm. There was something for everyone to enjoy! It was a great celebration and we were thrilled to have so many community members join us for the occasion.

We were delighted to have been donated a shed by one of our supporters. We decided that we would use it and transform it into a cosy insulated space that our therapeutic gardening groups can use. This has been something we have desperately needed as there is very little indoor space on the farm so our shelters can get very crowded in cold, wet weather when we have lots of activities happening on the farm! Rocc Ltd. and Belsize Charitable Trust No. 1 have kindly funded this project so that we can lay foundations, reinforce the roof and insulate the structure. We are also hoping to get it hooked up to electrics in the near future. It's projects such as this that show how much we can achieve alongside our wonderful community members, supporters and funders. Thank you everyone!

Why - We believe young people deserve the tools to understand themselves, build resilience, and thrive. By nurturing emotional awareness and wellbeing, we aim to equip them for life’s challenges today and in the future. How - Through guided gardening experiences, participants learn to recognize their emotional state and choose activities that support self‑regulation. Creative problem‑solving is woven into each session, encouraging good decision‑making, self‑management, and confidence. What - Young people gain hands‑on skills in horticulture and animal care while deepening their knowledge of the natural environment. These practical experiences not only connect them to nature but also foster wellbeing, preparing them for their next stage of life. Going into 2026, we are hosting sessions for a primary school, several secondary schools and a college. Gavin, our therapeutic gardening facilitator, has been creating new pathways around the farm and cleaning and rebuilding the duck pond with secondary school groups, sowing seeds, caring for the chickens and making bird feeders with our primary school group, and supporting all the young people to notice their surroundings, notice how they are feelings and select tasks that will support their wellbeing as well as help them achieve goals and skills.