About the Estate

21 Mursley Road
Swanbourne
Milton Keynes
Buckinghamshire MK17 0SH

Telephone: 01296 720825

Farm News

“After the wettest harvest ever, the farm has at last finished harvest. The final crop to bring in to the barn was field beans, which although wet were of fairly good quality. Normally these go for animal feed, but may well be good enough for export to the Middle East (probably Egypt) for human consumption.

Most of the crops were extremely wet, so we had to work through the night to harvest the wheat (culminating in a fire in the grain store, bravely extinguished by farm staff before the fire brigade arrived)! We are now busy ‘working down’ the ground for next years crops. We have already planted next years oilseed rape, but this has all rotted in the ground, due to the wet weather, or been eaten by slugs, so will be replaced by oats or beans.

The sheep and cattle are well. At least the wet weather has meant lush grass growth, so with a fair autumn, the cattle should be able to stay out in the fields for quite a while. We have scanned the cows, and nearly all which have run with the bull are in calf.”

The Betsey Wynne is part of the Swanbourne Estate in the small village of Swanbourne in North Buckinghamshire which has been owned by the Fremantle family for over 200 years. The opening of The Betsey Wynne, named after one of the Estate’s colourful ancestors, is the result of many years of careful planning by the Estate and a quiet determination by the present owner to preserve and promote country life.

The Swanbourne Estate, managed by Tom Finchett, farms about 1300 acres in and around the village of Swanbourne and owns many of the houses in the village. Many of these houses and cottages are rented to employees on the Estate and to other families who work locally. This small but pioneering Estate is committed to supporting the local rural community and it hopes that in building this very special pub, The Betsey Wynne, it will not only help to introduce people to the culinary delights of locally reared and grown produce but will also enhance the village way of life.

The Betsey Wynne aims to be a true “local” farm pub. We use our farm’s own produce and support other local farmers as far as possible. Our ethos is that the majority of meals served in the restaurant will come from local food.

Our suppliers and produce

Beef

Our beef comes from the Home Farm’s herd of pedigree Aberdeen Angus cows. The beef is butchered locally at Marsh Gibbon, having been hung for 3 to 4 weeks. Aberdeen Angus is famed for its marbling fat which gives it a wonderful tenderised flavour.

Our Lamb

The lamb on the menu comes from our flock of pedigree Hampshire Down sheep, which some butchers refer to as the “Aberdeen Angus equivalent of the lamb counter”. They have exceptional eating quality – juicy, tender and a wonderful flavour.

Pork

Our pork comes from George and Elaine Morris at Hoggeston who breed Oxford Sandy and Blacks and from Betsy Duncan Smiths Saddleback and Large Black pigs. Both are traditional native breeds, full of flavour, and reared traditionally

Our Fruit and Vegetables

The Estate has reinstated a traditional orchard several years ago to produce apples, pears, plums, mulberrys, quince, and figs.

This year has also seen the revival of the Fremantle family’s walled garden and Philip Dalton, the head gardener is now producing herbs, and a variety of vegetables and soft fruit. Other seasonal veg will also be sourced from the Claydon Estate.

Our Farm

The Estate Home Farm comprises 800 acres of arable land, growing wheat, oats, oilseed rape and beans, and 450 acres of grass and parkland grazed by cattle and sheep. The wheat is primarily grown for bread and biscuits, oats for breakfast cereal, biscuits, muesli bars etc, and the rape primarily for diesel. The benefits of this sort of traditional mixed farm contribute to the ethos of sustainable farming.

Conservation is very important to the Home Farm and a number of areas have been created where wildlife can thrive. Work has included the restoration of wildflower meadows, as well as establishing conservation headlands and wildlife strips around most of the arable fields. This has encouraged a greater variety and number of insects and wildlife including barn owls, skylarks, lapwings, brown hares, water voles and bats. Grass snakes are fairly common and the largest found so far has been over 6 feet long!