Like most Essex farms, our fields are bounded by hedgerows that combine with woods and ponds to form the traditional patchwork of countryside. In the last century, this country lost miles of hedgerows as farmers, fuelled by grants and government backing, enlarged their fields to accommodate modern agricultural machinery and increase production. Now, in this world of plentiful and cheap global food production together with an environmental awareness of bio-diversity, British farmers are replanting hedgerows and planting millions of trees each year. Despite this, lazy journalists still report that hedges are being ripped out and trees felled. In fact, we can’t remove hedges and trees without permission and hedge cutting can only be carried out at certain times of the year.
Surprisingly, our farm looks very much the same as a map we have from 1895 apart from Grove Field (which was two fields on the map) and Dovehouse and Barn fields are smaller now (due to the by-pass). As well as the hedges around individual fields, we have one hedge that runs a kilometre and a half across the farm, from the back of the barns through Little Forest field, Great Forest field, Grove Field and The Ley. There are gaps for gateways into fields, but otherwise it runs unbroken beside the ditch that collects water from the fields and channels it down to the lower stream that eventually links to the River Ter.
Predominantly hawthorn and blackthorn, the hedge also contains hazel, field maple and holly. Dog rose and brambles send out long arching branches and old man’s beard threads its way along the hedge with ivy and elder pushing through in places. Majestic oak trees stand high in the hedge along with ash trees; crab apple trees and whispering alder trees poke above the hedgeline and in one stretch, elm regenerates only to die off after a few years.
Not only does this hedge provide cover for small mammals, birds and insects but it’s a very handy hedge for foraging. Although it probably wasn’t planted as an edible hedge all those centuries ago, it’s certainly evolved into one. From the first violets that flower on the banks of the ditch, through the froth of May flowers and elderflowers to the nuts and berries that are ripening now, it’s the best place on the farm to forage for free food.
This week I’ve been picking blackberries from the edible hedge and have combined some with windfall Bramley apples from the garden. Lightly spiced apples topped with blackberry puree. Just add a spoonful of yoghurt for a virtuous weekday pudding.
LIFE IN MUD SPATTERED BOOTS 
How wonderful to have that feeling of continuity and those rich and diverse hedgerows. Do you have sparrows in them?
That looks like so much fun! I would love to see it! Great photos. Thank you.
Anne I get such a wee burst of nostalgia reading you blog, I have livd away from the UK for more than 25 years now but your blog brings back a lot of memories. I used to go foraging in the hedgerows with my Dad on late summer evenings. This was followed by a bit of badger watching as dusk fell.
It has been so hot here in Northern NSW these last few days, 35 degrees and it is not October yet. Just reading about your Autumnal hedgerow is cooling me down. Are the nuts cob nuts , or hazelnut? I am not sure really what the difference is but I have a distant memory that there is one?
I think cob nuts are cultivated hazel nuts so they’re a bit bigger. Our hazelnuts are too small even for the nutcrackers and I have to hit them with the flat side of a meat cleaver to crack them open.
Your hedge is wonderful! I love the fact that ancient hedgerows are so many layered and have such an incredibly rich assortment of plant and animal species living in or on them. Your weekday pudding looks delicious by the way! No surprise there though! Have a lovely weekend! E x
Hedgerows are the stuff of childhood storybooks to me – so lovely to know they are alive and well. I would love to be able to forage for all those edibles.
Hey Anne .. An edible hedge, makes sense. Bet the animals rather like it too! 🙂
How lovely to know that there are still hedgerows like that in Essex. I foraged with my parents just 10 or so miles away from your farm when I was little and now the area is houses as far as the eye can see!
If I look over some of our hedges, all I can see is houses!
I’d love to forage your hedge! So may sweet delights!! xx
Anne, you cannot imagine how exotic an edible hedgerow sounds. We don’t have hedgerow’s here (I had not even heard the word until I started reading your blog!!), let alone edible ones.
Your hedgerows look lovely Anne, what a great shelter for animals & growing something edible always makes sense doesn’t it? Another interesting post from your property.
When you grow up with hedgerows everywhere, it’s difficult to imagine not having them.
I so want to move to the countryside, I really do! Do you use the rosehips?
I sometimes make rosehip syrup or use them in a jam but they’re a bit of a fiddle. There’s so many rosehips this year that I ought to get out there and do something with them.
We still have the enclosed medieval strips here, tiny little long thin fields with lots of edibles in the planting … damsons galore, hazel, elder. Long live the British hedgerow!
That pud looks yummy!