Peach and Pippin is a small-holding, four acres of organic paradise, a teaching centre, a woodland, an orchard, a food provider, an incubator, a micro-campsite, a spreader of goodwill, and a home. We are located between Ipswich and Colchester – on the edges of Ardleigh and Manningtree.
The four acre plot was part of a land settlement project earlier in the 20th century when miners were provided with plots of land to grow and sell food – as part of a co-operative market garden project. The plot was not being used to grow food a couple of decades ago until new owners re-designed the land and planted orchards according to permaculture principles.
The smallholding was bought in 2017 by Ian Warder and Rebecca Leek who have continued to run the land as a going concern – producing and selling food and flowers. There is also a regular stream of visitors who come and stay in the Pod, hire the space or come for a farm tour to learn about permaculture, organic farming, holistics, food forests and how to look after orchards.
Peach and Pippin is connected with Growing Communities, Bennison Community Supported Agriculture, the Colchester Food Coop and other local groups of environmental movers and shakers like PACE. They are registered with the Soil Association which means the food produced is organic.
