Our Journey at Goldstraw Farm

We are Laura and Dave, a teacher and Royal Navy officer; we have absolutely no idea how to farm. But we've got lots of ideas and a healthy amount of delusion!

Goldstraw Farm is our family home. It also happens to be an ongoing restoration project that has completely taken over our lives.

When we bought the farm, people politely described it as "having potential". Which is estate agent code for "good luck".

The buildings have been here for centuries, so we're trying to make sensible decisions that respect their history, whilst also accepting that they now have to survive four children, an orange Labrador, ponies, chickens and whatever chaos we've accidentally signed ourselves up for next.

Some days the original vision feels crystal clear. Other days, it's buried beneath planning applications, unexpected bills and yet another job that's somehow become much bigger than we expected. We also spend far more time talking about drains than any normal couple should.

At the moment, Goldstraw is simply our family home. It's noisy, muddy, permanently unfinished and, if we're honest, has tested us more than we ever imagined. But it's also where our children are growing up, where the animals have somehow multiplied, and where we're slowly trying to do right by a place that's been here far longer than we have.

One day, we hope Goldstraw will become somewhere other families can enjoy too. Until then, we're just trying to stop the place falling apart faster than we can fix it!