The Lint Mill
Earlier in the year, a friend and I took a wee trip over to the countryside for an expert insight into the real-life workings of a Smallholding. Our venue was The Lint Mill, based at the edge of the North Medwyn River in South Lanarkshire, (roughly halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh) and we were taking part in their 'Beginner's Guide to Organic Smallholding' course.
The course is run by owners, Deborah and Colin, who were very welcoming and knowledgeable and provided a brilliant insight in that world - which I previously knew very little about. As a vegetarian, I struggled a bit with the thought of eating the animals but think if you're going to eat meat, that's the way to do it as everything is ethically produced and you know exactly where it came from!! For me, the course was for an opportunity to find out more about that type of lifestyle, I'm not sure if it would be the right route for me, but if you are somebody seriously considering going down this route, Deborah and Colin are the people to contact!
A beautifully produced lunch, made by Colin, was part of our day (with many of the ingredients grown on the farm) and our hosts' hospitality was brilliant. They have a special interest in rearing several rare-breeds livestock, which was interesting to see and we were given the opportunity to milk one of the goats (I failed miserably - it's harder than it looks)! The smallholding houses a vast array of animals, from Soay sheep to British Saddleback pigs - not forgetting their 'horny' rescue peacock Mayur! (Who takes a dislike to black, shiny cars, thinking they are a rival peacock!)
The location was beautiful, hospitality extremely welcoming and generally, a great experience all round.
You can find them online at
thelintmill.co.uk
"The Lint Mill offers 4 star gold B&B on a delightful, traditional organic smallholding farm located between Edinburgh & Glasgow in the rolling countryside of Scotland’s Southern Uplands. We aim to be self-sufficient, eco-friendly & sustainable. We are certified organic with the Soil Association and we have a Green Tourism Gold Award."
"A “foodie paradise” The Times October 2018"
