OVERVIEW
The Barrington Boar is an award-winning, independently-run, country pub & restaurant situated in the beautiful South Somerset countryside. Our pub features in the 2024 Top 50 Gastropubs (#35), the MICHELIN Guide, Good Food Guide, Harden’s Guide & Trencherman’s Guide.
Our small team is run by husband & wife team Alasdair Clifford (ex Chez Bruce) and Victoria Collins (ex The French Table) who recently bought the disused property & land adjacent to The Barrington Boar - Baker’s Farm. We are now planning to restore the overgrown land at Baker’s Farm & convert it into a functional, welcoming space that benefits visitors to The Barrington Boar, our local community & Barrington’s ecosystem.
Our plans for this land include developing a Market Garden which will supply the kitchen, the planting of native Somerset fruit trees, a Slow Food UK allotment and orchard which will grow forgotten local plants & a community plot where the team plan to invite local groups to use the space for garden therapy.
To fund the gardens, we are launching a Crowdfunding campaign in November.
THE PLANS
- A MARKET GARDEN
The Market Garden will supply Alasdair’s kitchen team at The Barrington Boar with home-grown fruit, vegetables & herbs & allow us to grow produce not easily sourced locally. It will hold & create a habitat that encourages wildlife & raise awareness of the importance of homegrown food & heritage varieties.
- A SLOW FOOD UK ALLOTMENT
Some of the varieties that we will be growing in the Orchard & Market Garden will be taken from Slow Food UK’s Ark of Taste, which promotes varieties of produce that are at either imminent or potential risk of extinction.
- COMMUNITY GROWING
Barrington is surrounded by beautiful gardens & keen community gardeners including the accomplished Barrington in Bloom group. We would like to offer them, as well as horticultural therapy groups & schools, our space & facilities to use, enjoy & inspire.
WHY?
“Orchards and kitchen gardens are havens for biodiversity, providing vital wildlife habitats to thousands of species, some of which have high conservation priority. The Barrington Boar Market Garden, Orchards and Slow Food Allotment will help to preserve traditional, heritage varieties of fruits and vegetables, many on the brink of extinction, and ensure locally grown produce for future generations of our community in South Somerset.
They also create important green spaces which can bring communities together. Gardening can have so many beneficial effects on people, whatever their age or background. We plan to run regular sessions for our supporters to learn new skills, meet new people and build their confidence in a welcoming, safe setting. We also plan to work with a horticultural therapy group where people can improve their mental wellbeing through gardening.” Alasdair Clifford & Victoria Collins, The Barrington Boar
WHAT ARE WE RAISING MONEY FOR?
The Barrington Boar Market Garden is seeking to raise £50,000 to complete the final payment to the gardeners and landscapers in February 2025 and to continue to invest in the growth of the wider business.
The main focus of our crowdfunding campaign is to cover the costs of purchasing plants, trees, & equipment, plus the costs associated with landscaping & project coordination.
WHO ARE WE?
Husband and wife team Alasdair Clifford and Victoria Collins took over the reins of The Barrington Boar in June 2018 & have created a restaurant & pub that is both casual and contemporary. Victoria and Alasdair fell in love with the tranquil village of Barrington instantly after many months searching around Somerset, Devon and Dorset for a pub they could make their own.
Slow Food UK is a not–for–profit organisation seeking to promote a better way to eat, celebrating the rich food traditions of the different nations that make up the UK, and protecting our edible biodiversity. They engage members of the public, food producers, chefs, businesses, academics and a global network, spreading and enacting our philosophies internationally and locally.
We are working with local West-country companies - Owen & Crosby garden designers and landscapes Double Barrows - to create garden spaces that will be functional, ecological and beautiful.
REWARDS INFO
All rewards purchased by the end of November will be sent out by the last post in December - perfect for Christmas Gifts.
Rewards purchased after that will be sent out after the crowdfunding window has closed at the beginning of February 2025.
Event evenings will be booked in the name of the person purchasing the rewards and a confirmation booking email will be sent at the beginning of February. Please feel free to contact us to discuss any of these events if you are interested.