Description

‘True, unflinching, powerful, lyrical’ Kate Mosse
‘It’s quite an achievement to shine a light of truth on the often idealised, always understated, role of the farmer’s wife.’ RAYNOR WINN
‘Wonderful, inviting, wholesome.’ Observer
‘Very moving, real and true.’ AMY LIPTROT
‘Enchanting, funny, fearless. . . a luminously beautiful memoir.’ Spectator
‘Beautiful and very honest.’ CAITLIN MORAN
‘Authentic and affecting.’ SARAH LANGFORD
‘Lovely, warm and real, it made me cry and cook and think. ‘ ELLA RISBRIDGER

A portrait of life at Helen Rebanks’ Lake District farmhouse that beautifully captures the unsung work of keeping a home and raising a family.

As dawn breaks on the farm, Helen Rebanks makes a mug of tea, relishing the few minutes of quiet before the house stirs. Within the hour the sounds of her husband, James, and their four children will fill the kitchen. There are also six sheepdogs, two ponies, 20 chickens, 50 cattle and 500 sheep to care for. Helen is a farmer’s wife. Hers is a story that is rarely told, despite being one we think we know.

Weaving past and present, Helen shares the days that have shaped her. This is the truth of those days: from steering the family through the Beast from the East and the local authority planning committee, to finding the quiet strength to keep going, when supper is yet to be started, another delivery man has assumed he needs to speak to the ‘man of the house’, and she would rather punch a cushion than plump it.

This beautifully-illustrated memoir, which takes place across one day at the farm, offers a chance to think about where our food comes from and who puts it on the table. Helen’s recipes, lists and gentle wisdom helps us to get through our days, whatever they throw at us.

Readers love The Farmer’s Wife

‘Lovely. . . the book equivalent of getting up before everyone else to enjoy the silence of the day.’
‘Evocative and thought-provoking. . . a beautiful, lyrical read that gives voice to the ‘pushes and pulls’ of everyday life.’
‘A beautifully written manifesto for the life she’s chosen to lead’
‘A beacon of light. . . I’ve never read a memoir quite like this.’