Capturing the Essence of the Countryside!
by Esther Smith

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Here at Crag House Farm, the home of Caring For Life, we are very fortunate to be able to enjoy the changing seasons and to witness the abundance of nature in the late spring/early summer months. We are also privileged to be able to help those who have had little enjoyment in their early lives begin to appreciate the beauty of the countryside.
Recently, several of those in our care have come to me very excited, full of the news that they had seen roe deer on our new land. One member of staff who was cutting grass for silage was treated to an incredible display of six red kites circling above the tractor, hunting prey, then swooping down right in front of the vehicle to pick up quarry from the ground. He often had to stop the tractor to ensure they came to no harm, as several red kites were on the ground right in front of his vehicle. He described how the traffic on the adjacent road came to a standstill as red kites swooped low over the road, homing in on their prey in the field!

People attending CFL's daytime therapeutic projects came running out of the centre, pointing up into the skies where they could see two, then three of the red kites right overhead. It is amazing to see people who until fairly recently had no interest in life itself, finding such joy in the beauties of creation.

It is not just the sights and sounds of the countryside that we are all enjoying so much at the moment. It is also the smells! I should say, scents!

First we enjoyed the wafting scents of coconut when the gorse in the valley was in full bloom. Then it was the rich scent of the hawthorn blossom.

Now the elderflower is in blossom on every elder tree on our land, a very pretty sight and also a wonderful heady fragrance.

Then the honeysuckle is flowering in all the hedgerows we have planted and the scent is wonderful, especially in the evenings.

We have even succeeded in capturing the scent of the countryside in a bottle, or rather, a jam jar! A new signature recipe of the CFL Preserves is our Elderflower Jelly, made with just Bramley cooking apples, elderflower blossom, sugar and lemon juice.

The resulting jelly has a beautiful scent and flavour and we are making as much as we can whilst the blossom is available, to sell in the Farm Shop and to serve in the Granary café, (although leaving plenty for berries for the birds later). The Elderflower Jelly makes a delicious accompaniment to scones and clotted cream, or a very delicate and sweetly-scented filling for a cream sponge cake.

CFL is blessed to have its home in the heart of the countryside, but close enough to the city to enable people to travel in on the bus, and this is what a growing number of people do every day, to take part in the many projects here. Increasing numbers of local members of the public are also coming to the Granary café and enjoying a walk into CFL's conservation area and sensory gardens.

Crag House Farm is becoming more and more of a haven for those who need genuine compassionate care, and being able to show to such people the beauty of creation, and how to enjoy the sights, sounds and scents, the very essence of the countryside, is a great privilege for all of us here at Caring For Life.

The tractor brings in the silage & the Red Kites fly overhead getting ready to swoop for their next meal!

The Elder trees have presented us with a wonderful crop this year.


Honeysuckle gives us the most beautiful of scents.

Lavender is harvested and used for making scented satchets for sale in the Farm Shop.