Tread LIGHTLY. I am very PROUD of the fact that at Daylesford, we have NEVER used a plastic bag in our farm shops.
Surround yourself with BEAUTY whenever you can. I have long been an admirer of the Japanese aesthetic, in particular its culture of wabi-sabi. It is a CELEBRATION of the beauty of things that are incomplete, UNEVEN or impermanent: ceramics that do not have a perfect shape or smooth finish; an IMPERFECTION in a yarn or weave; buildings that have been worn or weathered through age.
Shop LOCALLY, eat seasonally. At the moment I’m ENJOYING asparagus, broad beans, peas and crunchy garden radishes. For lunch, I’ll often have them in a light and refreshing soup – a TWIST on a classic minestrone.
Nurture NATURE, don’t fight it. At Daylesford, we don’t use pesticides or CHEMICALS, and any food waste that cannot be composted is used to produce ENERGY so that we take as little as possible from our ENVIRONMENT.
Be CURIOUS. I am lucky enough to travel to India each year, and something that I always look forward to is FORAGING in the markets of Jaipur; the dustier and more OBSCURE the better.
A life well lived is a life in BALANCE. I may start the day with a green juice – an invigorating mixture of cucumber, apple, celery, ginger and spinach – but end it with a glass of wine. One nourishes the BODY, the other nourishes the SOUL.
Make time each day to CALM your mind. I have practiced yoga and meditation since I was young. Whether you MEDITATE, practice yoga or simply take a walk outside, being ALONE with your thoughts brings you peace.
Be GRATEFUL for the OPPORTUNITIES that come YOUR way.
Pass on KNOWLEDGE. The future of good, healthy food lies with our CHILDREN and young people. They can be inspired to care. We set up the Daylesford Foundation to SUPPORT their guidance.
Don’t fear failure. We started to farm ORGANICALLY over 40 years ago and I often came up against resistance. People couldn’t understand why we wanted to do it. To this day it is a CHALLENGE. One year a bug attacked our vines and we lost an entire crop of olives because we don’t use antibiotics or pesticides. But that’s just part of being ARTISAN. You simply have to pick yourself up and move on.Nurture: Notes and Recipes from Daylesford Farm (Square Peg) by Carole Bamford is out now