We were delighted to host the CLA (Country Land & Business Association) for their AGM and a tour of the farm in May.  For many of the 60 members and guests it was their first opportunity to see inside the innovative Tiptree New Growing System for strawberries; and they were keen to discover more about water conservation on the farm.  While one group were on the farm tour with general farm manager Andrey Ivanov, other members of the group were given a special guided tour of the museum by Nick Wickenden, museum curator, followed by an impassioned talk by James Waters on farming in the past and in the future.

No visit to Tiptree is complete without enjoying the great hospitality offered by the tea room team: from the very welcome cup of coffee on arrival to the delicious afternoon tea style lunch complete with huge bowls of freshly picked strawberries.  The tea room team transformed the marquee to a theatre style venue for the AGM then to an informal setting for the buffet lunch; on a beautiful day many people enjoyed lunch in the secret garden. 

The CLA hold county AGMs in prestigious venues throughout the country and were keen to bring their members to Tiptree as it is a farm with a LEAF Marque accredited (Linking Environment And Farming) who are sympathetic to the environment while running a commercial fruit farm in one of the driest parts of the driest county in the country.