The farm
Let how we grow shape how we live
The ‘Farm’ in Farmacy is grounded in the Kent countryside. It’s a Demeter certified biodynamic plot of land, growing vegetables, fruits and herbs, which we deliver weekly to our Notting Hill restaurant by electric van.
It’s our space to grow and discover, with our dedicated team of biodynamic gardeners who help us on our quest to challenge conventional food systems and make the link between the farm and plate as explicit as possible.
From soil to sun
What’s different about biodynamic farming? Today, some of the most common farming methods actually work against nature.
Biodynamic farming is a sustainable and holistic approach to agriculture acting in respect for nature and its elements and in full harmony with its cycles from micro to macro, combining the concept of healing and farming and connecting soil quality with human health.
Biodynamic means so much more than organic. If we deconstruct the word itself, we find two deeply connected elements: bio meaning life, and dynamic meaning force. In biodynamic, we therefore find a natural force of life.
Biodynamic methods are all about restoring vital connections, and to achieve this connected balance we have to see our land as a connected whole. That means everything from the insects, to birds, to plants, to the soil. Everything is naturally as one.
To fully connect with the dynamism of the earth’s natural energy and rhythms, we grow things with as little interference as possible. That begins in the soil, the most important part of biodynamic growing. We think of the soil like the diaphragm of the earth: the place where the energy exchange happens. When the soil is biodynamically prepared, it gives whatever we grow in it taste, colour, and nutrients.
It’s the key to the essence of the fruit, vegetables and herbs we grow: whatever was in the soil will be absorbed into them. So we need it to be abundantly good. Biodynamic eating is about making a conscious decision to connect to the earth: to make better decisions that will impact how we eat, how we feel, and the footprint we leave behind after we have done so.
An extra insight into the biodynamic universe that is our farm comes from our Head Gardener, Dorothea: “Between the tomatoes, which right now are a joy to watch grow, we are harvesting rocket and coriander. Hopefully we can start picking our tomatoes around mid-July for a big, bright crop. And outside - beyond the shelters - the sugar snap peas will soon need some support in the form of a chicken fence. They’ll probably be ready from the end of June. As we’re not the only creatures that love them, we need to use some carefully placed netting to protect them from pigeons and pheasants.”
Eating as Nature intended
Demeter is the brand for products from biodynamic agriculture. Demeter has been constantly evolving since 1928, making this the oldest and longest practiced form of quality assurance in sustainable agriculture. It is also an international sign of quality so biodynamic produce and products are certified to the same standards in more than 50 countries on 5 continents. With organic certification as a prerequisite (all Demeter products are dual certified and carry both labels), Demeter standards go above and beyond organic to guarantee methods of production and processing that are environmentally friendly, ethical and sustainable.
The Founder
After having experienced the powerful healing benefits of a plant-based diet, Founder Camilla Fayed was inspired to create Farmacy - a place for those passionate about taste, provenance and ‘living food’ recipes that are good for human health and sustainability.
Camilla’s passion lies in natural farming and she based her foundation on biodynamics, a sustainable and holistic approach to agriculture, with the aim of creating educational initiatives to share this knowledge.
Camilla upholds a strong belief that chefs and restaurants of the future must coexist with nature and constantly challenges food conventions to show how you can connect with nature even in the most urban environments. Camilla is committed to pursuing this ambitious project and growing Farmacy internationally.
