When you know, you know!
The Fletchers visit Groobarbs
My favourite saying of 2025 was just the title above. It reminded me of why I decided to start our little farm. It was the feeling of the soil in my hand, the closeness of the earth with all the life that it can give and the sense of being connected to a bigger purpose.
But who said it? Well, all was revealed yesterday on Fletcher’s Family Farm ITV show featuring Kelvin Fletcher (the winner of Strictly in 2017 and Emmerdale star). Their episode included a feature on Groobox and our veg box, which was aired yesterday. You can re-watch it on the ITV app.
Kelvin and Liz started their farm in 2021 in the hills above Macclesfield. Not an ideal country for vegetables, so to find out more, they ventured to the lowlands of Cheshire and the sandy loam soil near to Great Budworth. They landed in our field of parsnips and carrots.
I was struck by Kelvin’s similar love of the land as he came alive with handfuls of our soil and facing the camera, uttering the words, “When you know, you know.” He was beaming with the joy that good soil brings, and it was great to see someone with a similar verve.
The soil is part of everything we do, along with a love of people and the local community, to give you something fresher and tastier with a more traditional way of farming.
Indeed, last week we harvested potatoes that had been out all winter. It’s a more sustainable way of storing potatoes, and they are much fresher as a result. Our stored potatoes in the shed are coming to an end, so it’s perfect timing.
Yet more rain is predicted from Wednesday. Over the last week, we have planted many spring crops, including peas, beans, onions, new potatoes and carrots. I fear we will not get enough dry weather to get any more in the ground, but it’s a good start in what is a delayed season due to wetter than normal weather.
