Mudchute, A City Farm in London

Just 10 minutes from Canary Wharf (London's second financial district and home of the UK's three tallest buildings) on the Isle of Dogs, is a wonderful city farm - Mudchute Farm. On 32 acres of fertile land (nutrient-rich as it is just next to the Thames) lives 200 animals, mostly rare breeds. Mudchute Farm is also home to 70 community allotments, a farm kitchen and restaurant, horse stables, and smokehouse. Wood from the farm is used in the smokehouse where butter, geese, and cheese are often smoked.

The two most interesting animals I saw were of the avian kind. This is a beautiful, male Golden Pheasant. Originally from central China this guy was pretty happy in a large pen with multiple light brown, less-striking, female Golden Pheasants. 

As their name suggests, these are Transylvanian Naked Necks. They hail from Hungary and were introduced to the British as Churkeys because, like Turkeys, their exposed skin turns red when exposed to sunlight. Despite their appearance these birds are calm and love warm weather. They are quite popular in warmer Eastern European countries as they can withstand higher temperatures. What are they doing in London?!

Since it is a city farm these goats have to fight for their dinner with the local pigeons who have gotten tired of begging for sandwich scraps from the business-types in their blue shirts and black suits. 

This male (can you tell?) Tamworth was finishing the last of some lettuce scraps. The Tamworth is recognized as the purest British pig breed as it is a direct descendant of the European Wild Boar. 

The farm's kitchen uses as much product as possible that is produced on the farm. For meat, Mudchute practices nose to tail cooking, using the entire carcass. It's hard to ignore the importance of animal welfare when you see the animal and its habitat before you are about to eat it.

 

Mudchute Farm and Kitchen hosted an important event yesterday afternoon - London Food Link's bi-annual networking meeting. London Food Link is a group I have been working with since last October and is a group that aims to make London's food system more sustainable. The networking event is a chance for members to share and coordinate their projects. 

One of their newest projects is Capital Growth. Funded by the London Development Agency, Capital Growth aims to create 2,012 new community food growing spaces in London by 2012. Capital Growth provides grant money and food growing advice to people in the community who start new growing spaces.

Another project is Good Food Training, which I have been directly involved with. This project aims to encourage sustainable procurement and training for the public sector (schools, hospitals, prisons). The project hosts events all over London that show public sector chefs how to use less popular cuts of meat and sustainable fish sources. The project also trains service providers about sustainability, customer service, and nutrition. One of the latest projects includes teaching prisoners how to garden and cook - skills that they can use when reintroduced to society.

Another project that I have been involved with is the Good Food for Camden strategy. This strategy aims to help lower income and disadvantaged people living in Camden (a London borough). Specifically, the Camden strategy includes consultations and toolkits so the people of Camden can learn sustainable ways to buy, eat, and dispose of food that improves their health, well-being and the environment.

There are so many other great projects that are involved in London Food Link that I haven't mentioned. These include everything city beekeeping to reclaiming food. 

If you are in London I would recommend a visit to Mudchute and to have a meal at the farm kitchen. Last night I had a bit of lemon-gingerade, crudite, and hearty bread with nettle spread. Nearly all of the ingredients were grown on the farm or on one of the community allotments. The nettles were foraged from the farm. 

This sheep's wool will be used as insulation in some of the farm buildings...

Comments

[Tangled Noodle]

The scope of your involvement with sustainability projects is awesome! In comparison, I pay only lip service - a lot of talk but little walk. I'm sure there are many such programs in my area and that I just need to open my eyes a little wider.

I'd love to visit Mudchute Farm! The juxtaposition of rural and urban in the first photo is fantastic. For the pessimist, it may appear that the latter is encroaching like a steel and glass wave but for the optimist, it shows that the two can exist harmoniously (just as London Food Link is working to establish).

Thanks for a wonderful post!

[Natasha - 5 Star Foodie]

I wish we knew about it - my daughter would have absolutely loved to visit this farm! That golden pheasant is beautiful!

[gastroanthropologist]

Tangled Noodle - Its amazing what people are doing all over, and I'm sure where you are as well. Being on a farm so close to the city was a bit surreal.

5 Star Foodie - The farm is great for kids - you'll have to take your daughter on your next trip to London!

[Lori]

I just love all your posts about farms. You are really increasing my knowledge about small farm practices.

That picture of the farm with the city in the background is fantastic. Such a great view!

[mycookinghut]

I never knew about this! I don't live far from Canary Wharf at all but just never come across this!! Thanks for sharing!!

[lisaiscooking]

It must be great to have this in the city. Gorgeous pheasant!

[Sophia]

what a great tour of the farm. I already learned so much from your post! I recall the time when I mused what it was like to live in a farm, milking cows and feeding hens all day!

[OysterCulture]

You're speaking to my core with this great post. Canary Wharf was my stomping grounds when I was in London but I do not remember this farm. I love the growing interest in sustainable agriculture in an urban setting.

[Sapuche]

I really admire the premise behind Mudchute Farm. And how great, too, that it’s so close to London. I hope that all those projects you mentioned succeed with their aims. Do these projects enjoy wide support, or is it a struggle for them to be viable? I recently learned that there are free community garden plots in Honolulu, but I’ve yet to find out where they are or how to take advantage of them. I’d love to grow some veggies there. Oh, and that golden pheasant is one handsome bird. Much handsomer than those Naked Necks. Not that looks matter. :) After all, my neck turns bright red after too much sun, too...

[Sophie]

Thanks for this wonderful informative post!!
I like the idea of it all! I think that it is great that you are involved with good projects!
It is also great that it is this close to the London city centre!
The animals in this farm look adorable!

[megan (brooklyn farmhouse)]

More city farms are needed - I love this post. In Kings County (Brooklyn) - we used to be one of the largest farming areas in the country. OK - this was a looong time ago, but we are working to bring farming back to our borough. What an inspiration Mudchute Farm is.

[Daily Spud]

I must try to visit Mudchute Farm whenever I get to London next - we don't really have anything comparable here in Dublin, at least not on that scale. And that's an impressive number of projects that you're involved with, good for you (though now I wonder would you have time to take on my Chief Tasting Officer position too? :) )

[lyn]

i would like to use the photo of the farm with canary wharf in the background in a book i am working on. do you know who the photo (first one) belongs to?