Great Cotmarsh Farm

Nature isn't tidy so expect some wilderness when you visit. Our farm grows tasty, nutrient rich food, in the company of wildlife.

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Who we are

Farm Background

We are a small, family farm in North Wiltshire. We are certified organic with the Soil Association and our livestock are all 100% pasture fed. We place soil health and nature at the heart of how we grow food and fibre.

As well a producing food for our local community we are passionate about the role of farms in growing fibre. From homegrown knitwear and botanical dyes, to our new micro-scale veg tannery and on farm classroom, we are working to reconnect people to how our clothes are grown, not just our food.

Enjoying panoramic views of the Marlborough Downs is our small campsite with a luxury Shepherds Hut and grass tent pitches - so you can come and stay with us and share our little slice of heaven.

About us

Farm Profile

Food

We are committed to producing nutritionally rich produce, in a way that helps to support nature recovery and harness the power of healthy, well-functioning grasslands. But our lamb and beef isn't just good for nature, it is better for our health too

Fibre

Passionate about realising the value in the fibre from the farm, Katie produces an award-winning knitwear collection using the wool from the flock, dyed with botanical plants grown on the farm. James has built a micro veg tannnery to produce leather

Education

Education is a key part of the offering from the farm. We are a Beacon farm for the Sustainable Food Trust and also run "Fashion as a Force for Nature" workshops for students wanting to learn about natural fibres and where they come from.

What we stand for

About us

Great Cotmarsh is a lowland livestock farm at the foot of the Marlborough Downs in North Wiltshire. We farm in a way that supports nature recovery, improves soil health and produces nutrient rich food. We don't use chemicals or synthetic fertilisers. Instead we manage our farm by trying to understand and work with the natural resources found in a functioning ecosystem.

The farm is organic, certified with the Soil Association. Plant, insect and bird life is up to 50% more abundant on organic farms and we feel it is important our customers have the confidence that our farming system is working in the most nature friendly way.

In addition our lamb and beef is accredited with Pasture for Life. We only feed our livestock 100% pasture, which brings positive impacts for biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Pasture fed meat has lower fat levels than grain-fed meat, higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids and higher vitamin and mineral levels.

We began our adventure into farming together in the summer of 2014, but it wasn't until 2022 that we managed to find our own farm in Wiltshire. We are first generation farmers – that means that neither of our parents are farmers. James has extended family that farm, and he grew up spending school holidays helping out at lambing time and creating many fond memories, but Katie is the first in her family to farm.

We have lots of exciting plans for Great Cotmarsh Farm. We are in the process of planting over 1700m of new, native species hedgerow and more than 6400 trees, as well as travelling on a journey to restore species rich grassland across at least 60 acres of our pasture. We have restored 4 ponds in partnership with the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, successfully supported barn owls toi breed on the farm and are managing areas to support kestrels, lapwing and curlew.