St Clere Estate

27/05/2026

Please keep and eye out. Cat missing from Fen Meadow, Fen Pond Rd

19/04/2026

Shhhhh. Big spoiler in the preview of season 5 of Bridgerton which seems to have been watched 10m times on Tik Tok alone! It was super fun to work with the Bridgerton team for one day only. They restored our faith in film crews after a rather tumultuous end to 2025 when it came to filming!

1.5M likes, 29.2K comments. “Do not fret, dearest readers, for a certain countess shall find love again... Bridgerton Season 5 is now in production.”

08/04/2026

We saw the tree down notification on Facebook this morning so Andy and Ali have headed up to Terry’s Lodge to clear it now. Should be open by 8.15am.

30/03/2026

Fire Brigade. Just to reassure our neighbours the fire brigade have been called to the arson fire that has been lit for the second time in four days in the field woodland along the Pilgrims Way. It’s a huge waste of their time and a dangerous game to play with fire and it obviously causes damage. Maybe it’s the same people who ruin our country lanes with their litter and fly tipping. I can never get my head around it.

27/03/2026

CHEQUERS NEWS.
After over a century of The Chequers being operated by breweries under a very unusual lease, yesterday Shepherd Neame returned the keys to St Clere.
We have not been able to make plans as it was legally unclear whether they were going to walk away.
Now things are clearer, plans are afoot! It’s been very encouraging to see how interested the community have been in what happens to The Chequers and so I hope it will be good news to hear that the goal is to find an excellent, enthusiastic, committed publican to run The Chequers as a Free House. It’s not an easy time for country pubs, with one closing every day nationally, so we will need the community’s support if this is going to be a success.
We will update here so keep an eye on this page. For those in Chequers Chat, there will be an update coming by email on Monday.

27/03/2026

Please do not use the bottle banks at The Chequers in Heaverham or flytip waste there. Nobody is coming to collect glass from there and we will work out how to dispose of the bottle banks next week.

16/03/2026

Environmental Work 4/4
HERBAL LEYS and LEGUME LEYS are another important part of what we do at St Clere.
These diverse mixes improve soil health, help store carbon in the soil, and are excellent for pollinators. Legumes fix nitrogen naturally in the soil and have long flowering periods, providing pollen and nectar for insects. More insects means more food for birds and bats too.

15/03/2026

Environmental Work 3/4
We also plant and maintain WILD BIRD MIXES across the farm. These areas provide food and shelter for a wide range of farmland birds, including several species on the Red List that are most at risk. Seed‑rich plants help birds through the winter, while thicker cover gives them places to nest and hide from predators.
Healthy bird populations are a good indicator of a healthy countryside, and we’re proud to play a small part in supporting them.

14/03/2026

Environmental Work 2/4.
Where we can, we use COMPANION CROPS as part of how we grow food. This means planting different crops together so they help each other. For example, confusing pests or attracting beneficial insects that naturally keep pest numbers down. It’s a more natural form of pest control and helps reduce the need for pesticide spraying.
It’s about working with nature rather than against it, and building resilience into the system from the ground up.

13/03/2026

Environmental Work 1/4. If you are interested to find out what we are doing at St Clere keep an eye on on our page, this is the first of four posts about how we are intervening to improve soil health and increase biodiversity.
Biodiversity at St Clere often starts at the edges of our fields.
Across the farm, Fred and the team manage FIELD MARGINS to encourage rare arable plants. These are the wildflowers and plants that used to be common in farmland but have become much rarer over time. Giving them space to grow helps increase plant diversity, which in turn supports insects, birds and the wider food chain.
It’s a simple idea, but these margins can be some of the most valuable habitats on the farm.
(Experimenting with AI for the images in these posts; it took me SO long to get it looking realistic. For now I think I’ll just stick with my own photography even though it’s a bit rough round the edges…)