2024 ridgedale team
Farm chef Dermot Doyle
I've always cooked, from baking as a kid with my mother to cooking for family events. When I was in school however I never thought I could become a chef as I suffered with anxiety and I always thought a kitchen environment would be too much for me. In my late teens and early 20's I went down the permaculture rabbit hole and got interested in the Idea of raising/growing my own food. Also shows on tv such as River Cottage really inspired me to get out in the garden. I started with my parents backyard, just growing a few drills of potatoes and herbs, then got a small greenhouse for tomatoes etc. I've always known I wanted to make a career out of food. Whether it be growing it or cooking it, preferably both. When I was about 26 I started to have health problems, which quickly became quite serious. I wont get into it too much but it was quite a dark time and it was looking pretty touch and go for a while. But thankfully it all worked out and I made a full recovery. It was at that time I found that my local college was doing a course in "Professional Cookery" and I said I'd give it a go and I never looked back. My health scare put things in perspective and now I look for quality of life over money in the bank. Since then I've worked my way up from a pot washer to a Chef. I've worked as a chef in a chalet in the french alps to a private chef in a country house, I hope in the future to get into the yachting industry and get to travel some more. The end goal for me is to set up my own food business and use the experience I've gained and my passion for growing food to set up something unique to me and which represents my ideals of what real food should be.
Farm Manager Sabine Ilsø
I am 29 years old and from Denmark. I started my farming journey in permaculture and I have since worked with different regenerative practices. I am passionate about farming for a lot of reasons, but especially because this sector holds so much potential for some of the biggest crises that the world faces, and at the same time feels meaningful on a personal level. I love to work with natural cycles and people who share the same passion, and it excites me to grow good and nourishing food for people in a way that takes care of the soil and our surroundings. This is why I am so happy to be a part of the Ridgedale team this season.
farm manager Ollie Hewitt
After transitioning from a life living at sea working on research vessels and sailing large sailing yachts all over the world I have devoted my time and attention to working with the land. From a young age food has been very important to me. My family would go on food based holidays to Asia trying local specialities. Once I started learning about modern agriculture and the impact it has on our and the planets health then I was immediately sold on sourcing organic produce and attracted to holistic methods and bought Richards book in 2020. From learning the direction of conventional agriculture and our food systems I wanted to be part of the solution. I am passionate about Regenerative Agriculture as it solves so many of modern world problems. I like how it connects us back with nature by observing natural systems then using modern technology and understanding to allow us to monitor and improve how we manage the land. I am also passionate about creating local food systems that increase the health and resilience of small scale farms and their surrounding communities. I am a keen fisherman, forager and have recently taken up hunting. I have worked on several market gardens and regenerative animal farms being involved in all aspects of the enterprises. I have a wide skill set and an open mind. I am really looking forward to the season at Ridgedale Farm and contributing my knowledge, skills and passion as well as continuing on my learning journey and meeting lots of fantastic like minded people.