The Only Way is North

Everything changed with the premature arrival of their first daughter, Kitty, a game-changing event that forced the Hardings to consider what they really wanted to out of life. Sure enough, “we engineered a way to quit our jobs and move to the coast”.

A quarter-century later, the Hardings are living a different dream at the helm of Norton Barton, a 348-acre farm and artisan food village near Bude. A government-approved Food Enterprise Zone (FEZ), it supports five companies and 20 employees committed to supplying foodies with succulent potted meats, lip-smacking cheeses, superior crackers and top-class spirits.

It’s a success story, for sure, but one that could not have been foreseen when the Hardings moved in February 2006. Having been seduced by glorious weather and wonderful coastal vistas at their viewing, their arrival coincided with lashing rain and howling gales.

“By then, we had four kids under the age of 10, and not a clue about farming,” laughs Richard. “Fi helped the previous owners wind the farm down, then decided to give it a go. I had images of The Good Life – a few cows, maybe some chickens.” Fionagh had other ideas, buying a herd of Ruby Red cattle and 300 Welsh Black sheep, as well as assorted pigs and geese.

Richard admits his knowledge of working the land was “limited to what I heard on The Archers – if they were talking about silage, I’d wonder what it was and whether we should be doing it”. He counts his blessings that his more experienced neighbours were happy to advise. “They were of the opinion that if we were prepared to give it a go, they should give us a chance – and we wouldn’t have survived without their kindness and support.”

The business was soon too big to be a hobby, but too small to be commercial. “It wasn’t working – we needed to add value,” says Richard. “Bacon and sausages were made in abundance here, so we looked for something with a longer shelf life.” They took inspiration from French-style jarred and potted meats, and after 12 months of product development, launched the Cornish Charcuterie brand with a range of rillettes. Their first customer was Rick Stein, who still buys them today. “It gave us the confidence to go on.”

Next came the idea for a cluster of independent businesses that could be based on site and work together. These included Whalesborough Cheese, among the first to ride the specialist cheese wave, and Popti biscuits (Popti being Cornish for “bakery”). When Defra set up the FEZ scheme, Richard applied, and Norton Barton was one of only two in Cornwall to be approved in 2015. The certification allows building without planning permission, within certain restrictions, such as fitting in with the “local vernacular”.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Richard was dreaming up more ideas. “I thought a distillery would fit in well, so we applied for a licence.” Having secured one, he met Dr Tom Read, a Bude-based biochemist with a passion for food, in search of an outlet for his twin interests. It was a match made in heaven. The range now includes toothsome variations on Morwenna rum, Bude gin and Kalkar coffee rum, all created from scratch on site.

The pandemic offered an opportunity to take stock. “We’re not in the first flush of youth,” Richard admits, “and it wasn’t apparent whether any of our kids would want to step into our shoes. Do we build it up to sell? That often changes the ethos, and we’re committed to creating something bigger, but local. Our expansion plan is sustainable, and all about spreading the Cornish food message.”

Indeed, sustainability is key. A wind turbine covers 95% of Norton Barton’s energy consumption, with plenty left over to export, while two tanks of cooling water are drawn from the farm’s own source. In the biscuit manufacturing unit, Richard shows me new packaging, designed to cut out single-use plastic while at the same time protecting the delicate produce.

And it would seem the thirst for innovation is never quenched. The latest novelty for Norton Barton is a thermal processing plant enabling a botulinum cook facility for canned and jarred foods. This is new for Cornwall, and has proved extremely popular – a range of fish (entitled Hevva!) sold out very quickly, with a waiting list for new supplies. “We’re hoping this will be something others in Cornwall might wish to use, keeping the economic value this side of the Tamar,” says Richard.

Prospective visitors will be pleased to hear there are plans afoot to bring back the woodland walks and café. Richard even entertains the idea of a small vineyard, with the grapes destined for a Norton Barton brandy, to be aged in a new barrel store; a glass house for peaches, to make schnapps; accommodation in some revamped outbuildings …

It seems there’s no end to his ambition. “We never set out to grow rapidly. The journey was more important than the destination.”