Kent producers corking interest keeps him busy
Kent producers corking interest keeps him busy
CAULIFLOWERS, potatoes and vintage wines are all part of daily life for Richard Ash who combines farming more than 405ha (1000 acres) in Kent with owning and running a trendy wine bar and restaurant in Margate.
Part of the day will see him satisfying the demands of the major supermarkets in supplying them with Desiree reds and prime cauliflowers while the other side of life is all about stimulating the palates of customers at Newbys Wine Bar and Restaurant.
The family farm was started by Richards father John just after the World War II and is run by Richard and his brother David.
"While it has been a good investment farming is no longer as enjoyable as it once was and has certainly become a lot more difficult, even painful, over the last two years," says 42-year-old Richard who has always enjoyed dabbling in property.
"I sometimes feel were just not farming anymore but pushing paper for somebody or another. We dont have the freedom we once had and are now tied to the multiples and dictated to by them. We have few other markets into which we can sell our products and at the same time the consumer is king.
"The more traditional British fruit and vegetables have now been overtaken by fashionable imports with a high retail value which take up far less shelf space than traditional home-grown products."
It was Richards passion for restoring old properties which saw him buy what was once a school uniform shop. The interior is now rich in old stripped pine and Richards efforts have seen him win awards for the way he has restored the building.
"It was good value in a depressed area but I was convinced I could do something to improve the area," he adds. "Yes, it was a gamble and renovating the building cost me far more money than I ever dreamed of. It was a fun thing and something I wanted to do and also a steep learning curve in the first six months. I wanted it to be a wine bar and restaurant where people could come in and feel totally comfortable in a friendly atmosphere."
* Renaissance
Newbys overlooks the towns Old Market Place which is about to undergo something of a renaissance along with the proposed Turner Art Gallery.
Richard, however, is convinced that Margate and Thanet in general are on the up and Newbys, which opened in 1998, is paying its way.
"We had our teething troubles but now Im very happy with the way things are going and the same staff have been with me since we opened and were expanding our customer base all the time," says Richard who is very much a hands-on owner and when needs must will become the chef.
"It is hard work setting up a business but I also wanted to prove to myself that I could do it having, I suppose, walked into the family farming business. It has been a great personal challenge and while farming was once the most bloody fun thing I could ever have wanted to do it is now very much harder to earn a living and not so much fun. My father would not recognise what we do now."
Les Able
Farmer Richard Ash has diversified off-farm and in to a wine bar
and restaurant in Margate.
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