“L’Enclume without a farm….well that was the point of it, it is about having access to incredible, seasonal produce and we thought to myself, ‘how hard can it be’”. Cue hollow laughs, buckets of curiosity and laying his hands on anything he could read on farming and soil health from Darwin’s lesser-selling The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms), visiting suppliers and asking endless questions.
“Our thinking was: We’re a two Michelin star restaurant in the Lake District, who’s the equivalent to us in farming? And we couldn’t see anyone in the UK who was doing that.”
Cox continued to oversee and run it until Fera opened in 2014. The restaurant at Claridge's where he was executive chef gained a Michelin star after its first three months, but he had already got the bug and left after three years to pursue his own restaurant and farming dreams at Crocadon.
Now in partnership with Clare and Tim Williams, friends and regenerative farming experts, he has set out to create a farm in complete harmony with nature to produce the most delicious vegetables, grains, eggs, dairy and livestock you will ever taste. The Granary, a café and events space is stated to open this summer at Crocadon, followed by a restaurant next spring.
“I’ve always chased the best produce and wanted to work with the best people and getting to the root of this and understanding how this produce came to be is what ultimately pushed me to into farming.”