Feature

"Welcome to Kentish Town City farm!" Chris Heith greets a new group of children visiting the Farm. Chris is the education worker and started working at the farm in February. His passion is to encourage kids to understand nature and respect it no matter where they live.

'Has anybody heard of the terrible animal disease?' Chris continues 'Foot and mouth, indeed. Though we don't have it, we have to take our precautions. So first of all put soles of your shoes in this disinfecting bath, you don't have to go swimming in it.' Chris is a passionate guide with a great sense of humour.

The Kentish Town City Farm is all about touch and smell. Every five minutes clattering trains are passing to remind you that this is a CITY farm. The railways give the farm its unique Victorian urban appearance.

Victor Ademoseu was visiting the Farm with a group of children when I was there. Victor remembers the Farm from his childhood. "As a kid I came here every week to see the animals. It was a lot smaller those days. There were only a few chickens, one goat and a pig. People came to have a look and thought it was amazing. I remember thinking 'That pig is so big'. Outside the gate you couldn't imagine such a magic place in here.'

A real discovery is the new organic (no chemicals used) garden with different types of carnivores plants and a lot of herbs. The garden is excellent for environmental education and shows another relationship between plants and their habitats. Feel free to have a pinch of the leaves of basil and dill and then smell your fingers.

But what would a farm be without animals? And the City Farm has plenty: goats (children adore them), cows, pigs, fine feathered poultry, geese..they all look very healthy and happy. "The chickens lay the most delicious free-range eggs and kids can take the eggs home. In that way they learn that eggs do come from chickens and not just on a supermarket shelf. The educational role is really important' says Chris.

You won't find any horses on the Farm (no riding school either) as they had to be taken away because of foot and mouth. The City Farm was even closed during the worst of the crisis. But this wasn't a complete disaster as it gave a chance to do other things like building new animal housing facilities (stables, cow and sheep barn).

Two animals absolutely worth your visit are Roger and Emma. Roger definitely has it all. This billygoat is known for his delightful (hmm.) perfume and outstanding horns. He and his family enjoy a private enclosure for bouncing and jumping around, though trees are protected as Roger does everything in his power to kill the trees.

Emma, the 5-year-old pig, is a real beauty with her big floppy ears. She knows her way around really well. 'We bring her up every morning, she makes a lot of noise and complaints about waking her up but when she's here, she has a ball. She can do whatever she wants and she strolls down through the farm whenever she wants, mostly some time in the afternoon. Roger and Emma's manure is free for anybody who wants to collect it and it is a great remedy for gardens in need of extra goodies.

Full of fruits, herbs and edible flowers, the community garden is a resource for everybody in the locality. People are free to come here and pick up a few herbs to take home and to be involved in farming projects. It is quite amazing how many things grow on this little patch, ranging from apples, pears, figs (they do grow in this miserable climate although they might not be as sweet), a lovely pumpkin, sweet corn and giant sunflowers.

Although sparrows are becoming rare nowadays they find there way to the community garden to enjoy the grain. I myself tried the fennel and discovered a fresh, tasty anise flavour. And though the idea of eating a (lovely) flower might be quite bizarre, I truly recommend it. The flower (nasturtium) I ate tasted slightly like mustard, though very mild mustard.

The City Farm also has a little pond which is very popular with kids. Full of baby frogs, large dragonflies, flat worms and water fleas, it's a whole world to discover. The living seat made out of growing willows is charming and a perfect spot to see all kinds of different birds.

Bring your kids here and they will learn how a farm operates and how plants can feel: soft and fluffy like rabbit ears or textured like an unshaven dad in the morning. For rainy days, there is a classroom.

From the 28th of August till the 2nd of September Rise Phoenix Theatre Group is coming to the farm to perform a play about plants. Kids are invited to join in and to make costumes.

Entrance to the City Farm is free, though donations are very welcome. (Feeding the animals costs £1,000 a month!)

Kentish Town City Farm
1 Cressfield Close, off Grafton Road, London, NW5 4BN
Tel: 020 7916 5421

For more information: www.ktcityfarm.org.uk