Torth y Tir Winter Newsletter 2024
We hope you all are well in the darkness of winter. As we are approaching the solstice, Christmas and the end of the year, we thought we’d share some good news from Torth Y Tir.
We’ve got grain in the ground!
Our biggest smiles have come from the green shoots of winter wheat peeking through at the aptly named Peepout Farm just outside Haverfordwest. TyT is working with Romeo Sarra, a long-time organic farmer, who drilled 5-6 acres of heritage wheat seed in September and October, mostly Miller's Choice plus some of our own TyT grain. With weather on our side – a big ask after the last two wet years – our partnership will hopefully yield a good harvest next summer and encourage other farmers to have a go at restoring small-scale, sustainable wheat production in Pembrokeshire.
More flour coming soon
Grain milled by Emma Williams at her historic water mill in St Dogmaels has been available on the Peninsula Food Market and the next batch will be ready for the Christmas Market featuring local producers at St David’s Rugby Club on Saturday December 21. Please come and enjoy great food and live music!
Goodbye oven and mill, hello possibilities
Good news on the financial front is that we have sold TyT’s big wood fired bread oven, and received from insurers the full value of our Astri mill that was lost in a fire while being leased. Details to come in the 2024 accounts. These two payments will allow us to cover our 2025 harvest costs, buy grain storage and other equipment, and set aside money for the community bakery we are still aiming for. Existing funds allowed us to continue paying back TyT’s loans this year. Thank you everyone for your patience!
Here's the wood-fired bread oven being loaded for delivery onwards to new owners!
We are homeless…
Having left Brawdy Farm last summer where we were storing grain and equipment, TyT is seriously on the lookout to rent barn space in 2025, preferably nice and dry for our grain and big enough for some machinery, even including the two pizza ovens over winter. Please do get in touch if you know of something suitable. Thanks!
Meanwhile we hope to get the big pizza oven up and running at the Rugby Club next year while the smaller mobile oven is available for short term rent.
Thank you!
So, a huge thank you to the happy community of volunteers who have kept TYT going through these difficult times, and wishing all our friends and supporters all the very best for Christmas and the New Year! Nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda!
Guy Dinmore (treasurer) guydinmore@gmail.com
Alma Joensen (chair) almavjoensen@gmail.com