Guardswell Farm

20/04/2025

Happy Easter, you lovely lot! We’re excited for a day of painting and rolling eggs, for a bumper choccie egg hunt on the farm, and some storytelling around the fire with 🌱

16/04/2025

Eolach: Seasonal Dinner.

Join us on the farm for a beautiful evening with .scot - a celebration of seasonal and foraged foods. Expect a very special three-courses, inspired by the Scottish landscapes, earthy flavours and the joys of long-table dining. Eolach are inspired by wild flavors and communal eating, their food journey began over campfires and evolved into secret supper clubs. We’d love for you to join us!!

Friday 18th July, sitting down at 7pm.

Photos by

15/04/2025

It’s very nearly Market time! Grab your best basket, your jars and tubs, hop on your bike if you’re local, and come along to fill your cupboards, fridges and freezers with beautiful, nutritious, local produce. All whilst supporting some incredibly passionate farmers and food producers. Monthly Wednesdays between 3pm-7pm, with our first market on the 14th of May, followed by the 11th June, 9th July, 6th August and the 10th of September. Pop the dates in your diary!!

14/04/2025

A wee peek of what’s happening on the farm over the next wee while…

https://www.guardswell.co.uk/events

08/04/2025

Fancy establishing a nature friendly orchard of your own? Working with nature, as opposed to competing against it?

Diggers Cider and ourselves spoke with the Nature Friendly Farming Network about our experiences so far, why we don’t think you need to use w**d suppressants, alternative methods to keeping the competitive grasses down (hey Shropshire sheep!), and how wonderful old orchards are for biodiversity.

We’re very much at the start of our orchard journey- but it’s an exciting start.

Take a look at all of the other wonderful articles on the NFFNs website!

https://www.nffn.org.uk/resources/establishing-and-maintaining-an-orchard-on-a-nature-friendly-farm

At Guardswell Farm in central Scotland, Anna and Digby Lamotte have reintroduced orchards into their 180-acre mixed farming system. 🍏

They use a small flock of Shropshire sheep to strip-graze under the trees, suppressing w**ds without the need for pesticides. The sheep step aside during harvest time to avoid contaminating the fruit, then return in winter, helping reduce soil compaction and fuel use.🐑

Last year, the orchard produced around 1.5 tonnes of apples, and it's not just the fruit that's thriving. As apple trees live a relatively short time, the rotting wood provides rich habitats for insects. That means more bugs, and more birds like swallows flocking in.

💭“When you shake the trees down at harvest time, you get absolutely covered in bugs,” Digby says. “And when we’ve been cutting the grass in June, we’ve been mobbed by swallows.”

To learn more about how they established their orchards , read here: https://ow.ly/R2Xc50VvOA6

07/04/2025

A beautiful start to lambing 2025.

A welcome sunrise for day 2 of early morning checks. Our Hebridean sheep lamb outside- in our most sheltered field on the farm (you might have noticed that most of our fields are exposed and sloping)- then, if they need it, are moved into the shed for a couple of days to check the lambs are being well looked after.

It’s a busy time of year on the farm- and Digby is pretty much doing it on his tod this year. Which means, fingers crossed, he’ll be treated to lots of these sunrises and generally good weather.

We check them regularly throughout the day- looking for signs of anyone who might start lambing soon (they tend to take themselves away from the flock, hunker down on a fence line or tree line, start pawing the ground, or sit and stand a lot), and then a final check just before dusk. We won’t check overnight as from experience this often leads to the ewes getting stressed or lambs getting lost and then cold/or attacked by predators. Generally- Hebridean ewes are fiercely protective mothers, and will also tend to wait for daylight before delivering their lambs.

They’re popping them out today in the sunshine…!

06/04/2025

It’s been one of those glorious, outdoor eating, being thankful for the sunshine, everything coming to life on the farm, first lambs born sort of weekends. The Cotterhouse, is the perfect wee spot for a garden lunch- firing up the Green Egg and throwing a blanket out on the lawn. The Cotterhouse sleeps 8 and works out at just over £30 per person per night… which we think is pretty dreamy, and the perfect excuse to gather your pals and book a few nights away with them- especially with the wee glimpse of summer we’ve just had!

04/04/2025

So lovely to have been included in the Women’s Issue of Scottish Field ! 🌱🐄

Welcome to The Women's Issue! 🤩🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Our May Magazine is here and this month we are shining a spotlight on the incredible women of Scotland 👏

As well as featuring the 50 greatest Scotswomen of all time, we’ve got interviews with a whole range of intriguing ladies...

📚 Scotland's queen of crime fiction Val McDermid talk to us about her journey into writing and why her heart will always be in Fife.

🖼 TV presenter and antiques expert Arusha 'Roo' Irvine tells us what she gets up to at home when she's not bargain hunting.

🌺 Despite the challenges of gardening this far north, the Castle of Mey is home to a garden fit for royalty.

👗We chat to Jade Robertson about her journey from humble beginnings selling clothes from her spare room to dressing Taylor Swift.

🎨 Artist Maggie Sinclair shares her intimate knowledge of the Flow Country with us from her studio in Caithness.

🌾 A trip to family run farm Guardswell shows why it's a safe haven for fauna and flora through its regenerative practices.

All this and much much more in our latest issue - OUT NOW!

30/03/2025

“Rustic luxe: the new breed of British farmstays“- the biggest thank you to for including us! We’re beyond thrilled!! A message came through from Fiona to Anna… “I think your legs, hens and eggs might be in the FT?!”. What a glorious day we’ve had on the farm today- sunshine, an adventure to the swings, a little yoga and a lot of eating. Hope you’ve all had a wonderful Sunday

https://www.ft.com/content/3b949122-0119-4f9e-b499-df4514ff6865?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaYA1Cwi7yIItf2sBYWfOuQ_HX8tRMfIYHNW5FOL09dtL8qG9N77oS_qPDs_aem_k8THVxWBHnwlhaGRpGjHyw

30/03/2025

27/03/2025

It’s very nearly blossom time. With over 2500 apple trees on the farm, of varying ages… it’s definitely a time of year that we look forward to. Think about all of those lovely blooms for our critically important pollinators. have a wonderful Carse of Gowrie Orchard Project planned, which we’re thrilled to have our orchards included in. The Pendicle bath is framed by the oldest apples on the farm- 4 beautiful trees that would have once formed part of a small orchard next to the farm Steading and Farmhouse- lovely gnarled, lichen covered oldies. Blossom confetti landing in the tub with you as you bathe sounds pretty idyllic.

22/03/2025

Thrilled to be at the Wool Producers Showcase in Perth today, with our 100% Scottish Mohair, 100% Hebridean and our “Guardswell Blend”- a 50/50 mix of the two.

It’s been a pleasure to speak to those who’ve already knitted with our yarn and are back for more, and even those who’ve travelled half way across Europe to buy some (wow!!).

If you’re looking for some lovely single farm yarn, you can also find it on our website.
https://www.guardswell.co.uk/store

22/03/2025

Calves, goat kids, hatching chicks and lambs… all on the horizon! They’re nearly here!! We’d love to introduce you to some of them when you’re staying with us. Lambing is due to start from the beginning of April with calving and kidding kicking off in May, and into June- so if you fancy a wee farm escape, with bountiful new life- then please come and join us, children and adults alike- perhaps you’ll even see one take it’s first breath. We have some lovely midweek availability in May + June- but if we can help provide any extra info about a stay on the farm, please just drop us a wee note

20/03/2025

Running into spring!! Happy spring equinox. What a beautiful week it’s been. Everything is waking up- despite the chilly mornings. If you’re planning a wee escape over the next few weeks or months- this is a particularly lovely time of year on the farm

10/03/2025

Exploring the farm. One of the things we care about the most is getting you out and about and exploring the whole of the farm. Whether that’s a short walk to say hello to the goats, or a longer one over the moor to our north- admiring the wind pruned oaks, and spring time wood anemones. Maybe through the Big Wood to Jamie’s steps- 198 little steps carved through the steep banking- which will soon be surrounded by unfurling ferns and bluebells. We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the world, and we really love sharing our little slice of Perthshire with you. Over the years- we’ve built stiles and put in pedestrian gates across the whole farm- and we’ve got more planned. Before staying with us- if you would like a local suggested walking route- whether that’s a short loop around the farm, or further afield- we’re more than happy to make some recommendations for you.

06/03/2025

PRESSED 2025. A celebration of Scottish Cider. Saturday 10th May. It’s happening guys. Join us on the farm for all things cider with some of Scotlands most wonderful cider makers. Wonder around with your own Pressed glass, sip and chat, enjoy the view, and really immerse yourselves in the knowledge and passion of these producers. Tasting tickets are £18 for the day- and also include some music and a cider bar after tasting finishes. Then if you want to keep the cider love going, we’ll be hosting a wicked cider themed dinner that evening with on the pans. We’ve got camping and caravan tickets! And we’ve just released all of our accommodation for that weekend too… phew all the info! You’ll find tickets on the website, some are pretty limited, so grab ‘em whilst they’re hot. Come stay, drink some Scottish cider and hang out with us on the farm.

04/03/2025

Cheese cheese cheese.

Would you love to learn to make some glorious burrata (with unctuous oozing stracciatella), silky soft mozzarella pillows and beautiful cultured butter?

As promised, is joining us on the Farm on Friday 23rd of May- for a day of all things cheese.

A farm walk and chat about micro and nano dairy with our lovely Shetland cattle, lots of time in the Cart Shed Kitchen learning from Kristen- plus a gorgeous lunch which she will be making herself.

It’s honestly going to be an absolute delight!

Head on over to our website and bag a space fast as we haven’t got very many.

https://www.guardswell.co.uk/events-calendar/spoon-carving-with-louise-forbes-2-adrmk

02/03/2025

Back in the late 80s and early 90s- Robert, Sylvia and Gillian, and then Fiona (Anna’s mum), ran a bit of a Carse of Gowrie institution. The Buttery. A little cafe in their farmhouse, surrounded by parterre herb beds, serving chervil laden quiche and herbie open sandwiches- then for the occasional evening, they’d open up the doors for three set courses which booked out weeks in advance. A Farmhouse in the Carse of Gowrie… reviewed by !! We’ve popped the extract into the comments. Fiona will be horrified- but we’ve included a few photos from the pages of in 1990, just before Anna was born, scuppering the whole operation. It was also the start of Scotherbs- but we can tell that story another day. The Buttery- and Scotherbs- and Nanas (great granny’s) Milkbar (I guess that’s where the Nano Dairy excitement comes from) were all huge inspirations for Guardswell, and we’re so incredibly lucky to have generations of creative, entrepreneurial people to help us get to where we are now. Thank you, lovely family.