Smallholding side hustles
Starting a farm might seem like an unconventional side hustle, but for a growing number of millennials, it’s a way of getting a foot on the farming ladder. Hannah Voak met some of the first-time smallholders who are giving it a go alongside their day jobs.
Photo by Helen Catherine
The Lomah
For smallholder Ollie Griggs, nothing compares to the taste of fresh, homegrown produce. And it’s this sentiment, coupled with a desire to be more self-sufficient, that prompted him to start a farm in 2022.
'Having a farm is a wholesome, fulfilling way to live,' he says. 'But I started farming out of fear – fear that I wouldn't be able to easily find the food I wanted to eat.'
Ollie knew that global conflicts, the climate crisis, and fallout from the pandemic were a recipe for disaster when it came to food security. So, he set to work clearing an overgrown two vergée plot on his parents' land not far from St John's Village. He named his farm The Land of Milk and Honey – or The Lomah, for short.
