Sanya’s skills came to the fore as he designed the farm – a tranquil setting flanked by low-rise solid timber structures. “We reclaimed materials from our construction company, pursuing sustainability, and created a warm and welcoming atmosphere around the land,” described Briend-Marchal. The buildings house a welcome pavilion, staff house, her ‘cheeselab’, a small house for the couple and their two daughters, as well as two extra bedrooms for friends and family when they visit.
Of course, there is a chicken coop and holding for goats whose bleating adds to the rustic atmosphere. “All the buildings are built around the crops, where we grow local, seasonal and organic vegetables. We use manure from the chickens and goats as fertiliser; we do not use any pesticides of any sort,” said Briend-Marchal. Sometimes, up to 30 per cent of produce damaged by pests are discarded. In the same mindset, the chickens range free when their coop is cleaned twice a day.
The farm is also special for the couple and their family, as it defined a large part of their daughter’s growing-up years. Briend-Marchal shares one particular lovely memory: “On the morning of my first daughter’s birthday during the pandemic while we were living on the farm, we had the beautiful surprise of the birth of two kid goats. And so she started her online lesson with both lambs in her arms, making all her classmates melt with the baby animals’ sweetness.”
