Magdalen Farm stopover

We headed to the farm on the weekend of 24th to 25th January, worried about the wind and rain but excited about what was in store.

Lunch on the Saturday was a superb first event and it set the tone for the weekend, one that would be warm, nourishing and fulfilling.,

The farm is well stocked with wet weather gear and wellingtons and so we were out feeding animals in the rain within an hour of arriving and having our lunch.

Animal feeding was followed by craft activities, board games and an amazing dinner.

We had been promised that the kitchen would try to produce some traditional Ukrainian food but could not have imagined the care and thought that went into the food that was made. “Just like my mother’s cooking” was the highest praise for the food throughout the weekend and such a surprise, because as one person put it, “We were expecting British food, you know, broccoli, boiled potatoes and some sort of meat!” The amazing Lucy and her team had been researching Ulkrainian food bloggers. They had baked authentic black bread, poppy seed buns, and layered honey cakes, sourced berry compote, made traditional drinks from dried fruits, made borscht, stuffed cabbage leaves, Olivier salads, numerous beetroot dishes and lots of pickles and sour cream accompaniments.

As dark fell on our first day, we made a campfire to toast our marshmallows and cinnamon apples and to sing traditional songs.

The children then watched Mr Bean in English whilst the adults chilled and chatted in Ukrainian into the early hours. Not everybody made breakfast on time, as the rooms were cosy with underfloor heating and massive mattresses.

The big event for the second day was an adults versus children orienteering challenge around the farm. Children won, of course.

The challenges continued with a ‘no matches’ firelighting session. Using just a flint and steel and some fluffed up cotton wool we soon had our straw and kindling burning and within 5 minutes there were 4 healthy fires blazing in the barn area. All made by our young fireraisers.

The weekend was an enormous success and the vote was that it could only be described as “excellent”. Everyone had favourites and especial mentions go to the goats, the egg collection and sorting by the Egganator 3000 and the fluffy cows.

Many thanks to all who came and participated so willingly to make it a joyful weekend. Thanks to Dan who was the Magdalen Trust leader that stepped in at the last minute as a colleague was injured.

Thanks also to the The Alice-Ellen Cooper Dean Foundation Trust who had financially supported The Magdalen Environmental Trust to put on the weekend.

Thanks too to friends and hosts who provided transport for those without cars.

Some thoughts from the participants:

A huge thank you to SRG and everyone involved for such a wonderfully organised trip to the farm.

Everything was absolutely delicious, incredibly warm and welcoming, and great fun.

We had a fantastic time, truly relaxed, and came away with so many positive emotions.

Thank you for your care, kindness, and for creating such special memories — it really meant a lot to us

Really epic weekend, thank you very much! We are very grateful for the organization

It was interesting and exciting to communicate with each other and spend time in nature.

The best weekend since 2022. It felt like I was back in my childhood, there were no worries and I could explore the world with my eyes wide open. A huge thanks to chef Lucy who prepared so delicious Ukrainian food for us. Lucy is the true soul of the farm.

Thank you very much to the organizers for the wonderful place and atmosphere. I have been here before and I am happy to return again - this is exactly the kind of space I want to return to. Thank you for your work and attention to detail 🩵💛

Thank you so much for inviting me to this wonderful weekend! I spent this weekend in relax with lots of nice moments. Your support to Ukrainian families is so great! And also special thank you for Dan, Lucy and everyone who works in Magdalena farm. You do so great job🤗🤗🤗!!! I hope to return there at least one more time🥰🥰🥰

I would like to say a huge thank you for organising this truly special trip. It was a very touching and unique experience. The Magdalen Farm team thought of so many small but meaningful details — even the yellow and blue cups in the colours of the Ukrainian flag meant so much to us. I would also like to express special admiration for Lucy, the cook, for her deep and thoughtful research into Ukrainian cuisine. The food, the care, and even the freshly baked bread were incredibly moving and touched us deeply. Thank you for bringing us together, for giving us this opportunity to relax and switch off. It truly felt like everyone was able to leave their worries behind for the day and simply enjoy the moment. Thank you as well for organising board games for the children.

Thank you Shaftesbury Refugee Group. We really enjoyed all the activities. The food especially was incredible and all the activities such as animal care and map reading were very enjoyable. Is was an unforgettable weekend 🙂

Thank you SRG, Dan and Lucy for a nice and relaxing weekend. It was nice to chat together in a warm atmosphere. It is interesting to hear about organic eggs and see the different conditions of keeping chickens. The farm's comprehensive approach to preserving the environment is impressive.