About Us
We are Paul and Kesri, born in South Africa we moved to London in 1999. In 2008, we had kids and this pushed us to escape our corporate jobs and city life for a more wholesome, relaxed life (so we thought!) in the country so we could spend more time together as a family.
We appeared on BBC’s Escape to the Country (yes really!) which was life changing. And in 2010 we found our dream property a stunning 16th century farm near Hay on wye in Herefordshire, on the England side of the border of Wales.
Looking back we certainly had no clue as to what we were getting into, just a dream. With limited resources, transforming the farm into a business that could generate income has many challenges and is hard work. We learn everyday and despite the blood sweat and (yes!!) sometimes tears, we wouldn’t change it for the world. And would encourage anyone with a dream to go for it.
Do follow us on instagram as escaping to the country is only the beginning of the journey.
Today the farm estate is an events venue. We host weddings, corporate retreats and fire cooked feasts. The most magical weddings for couples looking for a relaxed wedding in the country-side thats different to the conventional wedding or what people expect. The Black Sheep of weddings!!
We haven’t forgotten our corporate roots, which taught us so much. Today we run workshops, events and training on the Farm. And still travel globally freelancing for Unilever, Google and NGOs close to our heart.
We are very much like the Black sheep that dot our Farm. And the cheeky sheep in our logo. We do love to buck the status quo. To do things differently. To ask why not. And to dream of what could be. We have a passion for diversity in all things. From people, animals, culture, food, ideas, to ways of thinking. Drovers Rest strongly mirrors this passion. We hope you love what we’ve created too.
Travel writer, Alistair Sawday
“The terms ‘Bed and Breakfast’ and ‘Self-Catering’ once conjured up lace curtains, doilies, lists of do’s and don’ts. And a sense of being stuck in a more formal, sepia era. How times have changed. Part of this shift is down to a new generation of owners, who’ve brought a sense of play, informality, style and entrepreneurialism to their ventures. They’re breaking the rules. Blurring the lines between the old classifications of B&Bs, self-catering and hotels. And offering so much more than just a bed for the night. The result? Fabulous places, buzzing with energy and ideas. With a far richer experience for guests. At Drover’s Rest Kesri, Paul and their young family’s labour of love has really paid off. The Shepherd’s Shack, Drover’s Cottage, The Carthouse and a collection of souped-up Safari Tents with private underfloor heated bathrooms, are super getaways in the Black Mountains. Get involved on the farm, hang out around the campfire with cocktails toasting marshmallows or join in one of their convivial food night gatherings in their no expense spared, stunning chill-out barn.”
For the Love of People
We love people and this shows in our interaction with guests. So be prepared to feel more like an extended family rather than paying clients
Gatherings
We believe in the magic that happens when people gather. So our big feature of what we do here at Drovers Rest is events, to gather people, so be prepared to dive in and meet other people around our feasts, the campfire, on the farm our at one of our epic events
For the Love of Food
We are foodies at heart. We love using our homegrown and foraged food for cooking, baking, making jams, relishes, sloe gin, elderflower cordial etc for our larder and for our guests too. Fire cooking is in our South African DNA. We love a good braai and cook expertly on the fires for our gatherings making your event drool worthy and super memorable
Food Grown The Proper Way
How the food is grown is one of our great passions. We don’t want any baddies in our food so we farm organically no artificial pesticides, fertilizers or hormone injections for our animals. The animals have the best life possible free-ranging on the farm. Here we pride ourselves on Food that is grown the proper way.
One Planet
We are passionate about wildlife and nature with this in mind, we are rewilding 25% of our farm. We also focus on soil regeneration, which has the ability to sequester carbon, meaning farms could be the vital ‘hope’ for the planet’s survival. As such we have a strong Eco Educational ethos engrained in our way of doing things as well as the winner of the Green Tourism Award.
The Great British Outdoors
We are proud of our Farm, our animals and our Local Area and want to show it off to you. Bring old clothes and your wellies so you can get downright dirty on the Farm. There are 40 acres of farm, woodland, meadows and orchards the farm has a bubbling brook running through. We back onto a 150-acre common called Little Mountain where our animals have grazing rights – it’s great for walking and wildlife spotting too. There’s a huge badger sett nearby and you’ll often see badgers at night. There’s lots of birdlife on the farm due to the wildlife corridors around our fields, so you’re bound to wake up with birdsong in your ear. The bat boxes encourage bats to breed and you’ll hear the hoots of the resident owl and no doubt see the buzzard fly low over your car as you drive up the lane to us. Not to mention all our gorgeous farm animals that mooch about on the Farm. You will fall in love!
