A bit about us...

Mantel Farm is on the outskirts of the historic town of Battle in the hamlet of Henley Down, between the villages of Catsfield and Crowhurst.  It has been a poultry farm since the 1940's, originally producing poultry and eggs to the commercial market.  When we purchased the farm it had ceased trading for a number of years, but it soon became our dream to not let this agricultural premises lay idle and to return it to its intended use, but on a smaller scale.

We now have a flock of laying hens and table birds, along with our small families of pigs, rabbits and goats.  Suppying eggs and meat from our shop, we have also established a poultry shop selling everything you need to keep chickens yourselves.

Moving to Mantel Farm was our dream come true, and most people who drive onto our farm on a sunny day stop to say how 'idylic' it is, and to us, it always will be, however it is really nice to get this reminder as it is hard work and we now sometimes only see around us so many things we want (or need) to do!!  Smallholding is not an easy way of life but it is a special way of life and we will always encourage anyone to have a go, we just have to accept that there will always be unfinished work and things to be done!  but it is work we can look forward to doing when the time is there!

We will always aim to be self sufficient, and hope one day we will get there, even in this world where ironically it is becoming ever harder to afford.  When we first moved here we grew all our own vegetables, but now our poultry business has taken off we find little time for our much loved vegetable patch, and get frustrated that we are not doing the most basic of self-sufficent tasks!  But, in the real world we have to earn an income to pay the bills and so our veggie patch has to be balanced against the benefit of setting up our own business on our own farm, and so not being so reliant on others for our income and knowing (or hoping!) that one day we will again be able to find the time.

Please come and visit our shop, be it to buy real home produced food or talk to us about keeping your own animals, we would love to see you and encourage you to try this special way of life.

For our shop opening times, please see 'our shop' page

Mantel Farm, Henley Down, Catsfield, Near Battle, East Sussex, TN33 9BN