The Goat Life

Words by Catherine Grosdemouge. Pictures by Cate Hamilton.

Have you ever dreamed about living 'the good life,' and leading a slower, more sustainable lifestyle? Here in the Cotswolds we are surrounded by picturesque villages and bucolic landscapes where people are doing just that. I set off one sunny day to meet Anna Ledingham at the home and smallholding she shares with her husband James, their young family, and some four-legged friends, to see if rural living is really all it is cracked up to be.

Tell us about your home and who lives here.

Home is the Cotswolds hamlet of Ford, about 30 minutes from Cheltenham, and we live here with our two children, Sylvia and George (age 4 and 2), two Golden Guernsey goats, two Spaniels and several chickens.*

Anna with her Golden Guernseys, Margot and Heidi.

Are you enjoying country life?

Yes, I love being rural. The downside is having to get into your car for a pint of milk and when we first moved we had no WIFI and felt a little cut off, especially with a new baby. Other than that, we have a fantastic pub in the village – The Plough – and the Cotswold Farm Park is just down the road. In the evenings, when the children are in bed, I love to sit out with the goats and take in the beautiful view across the Windrush Valley. I feel very grateful to be able to call this home.

What made you decide to get goats – do you come from a farming background?

Not really! We loved the house and it came with a beautiful mature garden and some land, but we're not really gardeners and it was a bit much for us. I joked about getting a couple of goats to maintain the grassy area – it had always been a dream of mine to have animals. I had always been interested in agriculture and animal husbandry but ended up following a language teaching path instead and then, when we acquired the land, the joke turned into a 'why not?'

Why Golden Guernseys and how important was it to have a traditional rare breed?

Originally we thought about getting Pygmy goats but they are notorious escape artists and can also be a little exuberant; something we wanted to avoid with young children.

When I first heard about the Golden Guernseys I was really drawn to the heritage of the breed and the story behind their survival. During the Second World War, under Nazi occupation, a lady called Miriam Milbourne who lived on Guernsey hid a small herd from the Nazis and succeeded in saving the breed; every Golden Guernsey goat alive today is a direct descendent. We loved the idea of playing a part in the continuation of this amazing family line and the fact that they are docile, sweet-natured and, crucially, low-maintenance suited us as beginners.

So without prior experience, how did you go about turning your home into a smallholding?

The Cotswold Farm Park, owned by local celebrity farmer Adam Henson, was invaluable as a source of inspiration and practical advice, and after lots of research and a chat with their farm manager, Mike, we ended up buying the goats directly from them. We had a wooden goat shelter built by a local company and Margot and Heidi arrived in April as a birthday present to me!

Have you had problems or regrets along the way? What have you learned so far? And what do the neighbours make of it?

The funniest thing is that the goats are not really grass eaters, much preferring their hay and pellets, so the walking lawn mower idea has gone out of the window! Hoof clipping was another steep learning curve but thanks to the advice and help of our neighbour, plus a lot of YouTube tutorials, we managed it. There is also a little bit of administration that comes with having agricultural animals. Anything bigger than a chicken or duck requires getting in touch with DEFRA, and this took a while to come through. As for our neighbours, they have been lovely and a useful source of information and, as long as you communicate your plans and are respectful, we have found that people are intrigued and delighted.

How do you involve your children and what lessons on self-sufficiency would you like them to take away from their rural childhood?

The children love the animals and take great pleasure and pride in looking after them and showing them off to their friends. Being outside and connecting with nature, an awareness of where their food comes from and a respect for animal life and the responsibility of looking after them are all invaluable gifts. When Amelia the chicken died it was a sad time for the children but an equally important lesson on the life cycle. Even for us, the simple act of collecting and eating our own eggs means we are thinking about and connecting where our food comes from to what we are eating, and the fact that just popping to the shops is not an option means we are more thoughtful about what we are consuming as a family.

Hello from Heidi!

Do you have plans for the future?

I would love to breed the goats so that we could have our own milk and make cheese. There is a local lady who has her own vegetable cart and travels round selling produce so it would be nice to be able to contribute our own products and form part of a mobile, community shop. I'd love to use the animals in some form of education or therapy setting. We've chosen really friendly breeds, and the children are very involved. We are also thinking about adding some sheep to the mix and I have heard about a new trend for goat yoga so watch this space!

*Since the interview, Anna's menagerie has grown with the addition of three Ouessant sheep bought from a breeder in Worcester. Ouessant sheep are a miniature breed originating from Brittany, France and known for their gentle nature. Anna has been assured that they are voracious grass eaters! Follow her adventures on Instagram on @cotswoldgoldenguernseys.