A FARM in the Scottish Borders has won an award named in honour of the late Clarissa Dickson Wright in recognition of its contribution to food, farming and education.
Family-run Peelham Farm, an organic, mixed farm based in Foulden, Berwickshire, won the second annual Clarissa Dickson Wright Award because of its practice of "sustainable self-reliance".
Located between Whiteadder Water and Eye Water, the farm has its own 'Meat Manifesto', an initiative committed to "good, clean and fair" animal husbandry and butcher business.
The award was established to honour the late cook and author Clarissa Dickson Wright, best known for starring in the TV cookery programme Two Fat Ladies.
Baroness Mallalieu, President of the Countryside Alliance and friend of Dickson Wright, presented the award to Denise and Chris Walton from Peelham Farm at a reception held at the Houses of Parliament.
She said: "We have been mindful of what mattered most to Clarissa, namely a focus on strong animal husbandry, support for slow and artisan food and a platform for the efforts being made to foster our farming heritage through measures such as protecting rare breeds.
"With this in mind, our winner's philosophy fits the bill. They practice 'sustainable self-reliance' and their motto is 'Love the land, love the animal, love their meat'.
"The 2015 Clarissa Dickson Wright Award winners have combined farming heritage, rare breeds and organic production into an enterprise that not only produces high quality food, but is environmentally sustainable and recognises that the key to the future of farming is educating consumers, not preaching at them."
Peelham Farm also hosts several school visits each year and works closely with the Royal Highland Education Trust, encouraging people to learn where their food comes from via butchery courses.
They also have host veterinary, agricultural and culinary skills students on work-placements with them, where they learn about all of aspects of farming and food production.
The farm's Denise Walton said they were "delighted" to win the award, adding: "Our ethos is to provide quality, unadulterated food and to build resilience into our farm so that that it's there for the next generation of our family and customers."
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