Community project marks milestone with birthday celebration and reflects on an incredible first year of connecting people with food, farming and nature.

The Countryside Kitchen, based at Orchard Farm, Yelvertoft, has celebrated its first birthday with a special community tea party, marking twelve months of transforming lives through hands-on food, farming and countryside education.

The celebration brought together supporters, volunteers and Cllr Fiona Baker, Chair of West Northamptonshire Council, to reflect on an extraordinary first year, which has seen 1,068 people benefit from fully funded workshops designed to improve wellbeing, build confidence and reconnect people with where their food comes from.

As part of the celebrations, guests helped create a new sensory raised bed, planting fragrant lavender and blackberry plants that will continue to benefit future visitors. The sensory raised bed was made possible thanks to the generous support of Marshalls Garden, who donated the plants, and Wickes Rugby, who supplied compost to help bring the garden to life.

Since officially opening in July 2025, The Countryside Kitchen has welcomed school children, families, vulnerable adults, community organisations and people recovering from illness or addiction from across Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Leicestershire.

Workshops combine cooking, growing, meeting farm animals and outdoor learning, helping visitors develop practical life skills while improving their understanding of British farming, healthy eating and the environment.

Over the past year the project has:

• Welcomed 1,068 visitors to the farm.
• Built relationships with 37 schools, charities and community organisations.
• Delivered more than 50 fully funded workshops.
• Established a Community Fridge collection point, rescuing surplus food that is transformed into educational activities and added-value products.
• Become a recognised community hub, offering volunteering opportunities, an honesty shop, a publicly accessible defibrillator, bleed control station, outdoor first aid training and a recycling point for empty medication blister packs.

Founder Milly Fyfe MBE said:

"When we opened The Countryside Kitchen a year ago, we simply hoped to create a welcoming place where people could reconnect with food, farming and nature. To have welcomed over a thousand people in our very first year is beyond anything we imagined. Every school visit, every community group, every volunteer and every supporter has helped shape what The Countryside Kitchen has become. Seeing children bake bread for the first time, adults regain confidence, and people leave with a smile reminds us why this work matters.

We're incredibly grateful to every funder, volunteer, business and individual who has believed in our vision. This first year is just the beginning."

Looking ahead, The Countryside Kitchen plans to enhance its programme of workshops, develop new educational experiences including beekeeping and rare livestock, strengthen support for the farming community through rural first aid training, and continue growing partnerships with businesses and charitable funders to ensure workshops remain accessible for those who need them most.

To coincide with its first anniversary, the not for profit CIC has also published its Year One Impact Report, showcasing the difference made during its inaugural year and setting out its ambitions for the future.

For more information or to request a copy of the Year One Impact Report, visit:

www.thecountrysidekitchen.co.uk  or email contact@thecountrysidekitchen.co.uk

Or follow:

• Facebook & Instagram: @TheCountrysideKitchen
• Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn: @NoFussMealsForBusyParents

ENDS

Media Contact:
Milly Fyfe MBE
Founder, No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents CIC and The Countryside Kitchen

contact@thecountrysidekitchen.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents CIC is an award-winning social enterprise based in Northamptonshire that promotes healthy eating, food education and wellbeing through practical, accessible community initiatives.

The Countryside Kitchen is a field-to-fork educational facility located on a working farm at Yelvertoft, Northamptonshire, delivering hands-on learning experiences focused on food, farming, sustainability and nutrition.

Photos available on request

Featured: Cllr Fiona Baker, Chair of West Northamptonshire council, together with Milly Fyfe MBE and local children planting a new sensory garden feature at The Countryside Kitchen - photo credit: Kelly Alders

Head and Shoulders shot of Milly Fyfe MBE with birthday cake– photo credit: Kelly Alders