Woodbridge farmers launch Farmstead Lodges at Easton

Alistair and Sian Kerr already run a wedding venue business at Low Farm in Easton, near Woodbridge - an 850-acre arable operation which was once a dairy farm.

They have now added Farmstead Lodges, a collection of luxury holiday homes lovingly created from recycled local scaffolding timber.

The eight lodges include spacious living rooms heated by wood-burning stoves, Adirondak balcony chairs to soak in views of the Suffolk countryside and large open spaces for guests to roam.

The household and kitchen equipment is high-end. The emphasis has been on quality and local - as well as creating new income streams to boost Suffolk's rural economy.

"Our vision was to get people to stay on the farm," explained Ali. Guests tend to hunker down on the first night, then venture to the coast or take their dog for a walk and explore the countryside.

With the cattle gone and the buildings in need of a new lease of life, the pair decided to branch out in 2010.

The £2.5m wedding venue project - which included renovating old farm cottages for the bride and guests to stay in - took three years to complete and is now a highly-regarded site.

Easton Grange lies on the banks of the River Deben, which winds through the middle of their land. Plans began in 2020 during the Covid lockdown.

While building it, Ali and Sian got hitched at Easton church in 2012. They went on to have three children - Poppy, Freddie and Bluebell, now aged six, seven and eight.

"We needed to be self-sufficient, without subsidy and work with what we have got. We had a lovely location here," said Ali.

2012 turned into a momentous year. The pair snapped up the village pub - the Easton White Horse - when previous owner Punch Taverns put it up for sale.

It was the wrong timing with all that was going on, they admitted, and needed lots of work, but they were keen to preserve it for the village.

At the same time, the larger Kerr family farm business was split up and Ali and Sian launched their own business, Alterra Farms.

Alistair - the son of prominent Easton farmers John and Jill Kerr - is the youngest of the four siblings. Laura, the eldest, lives in Dorset. Immediate past Suffolk Show director Bruce runs Wm Kerr (Farms) Ltd in Easton and Fiona runs farm attraction Easton Farm Park.

Low Farm - which is in a Countryside Stewardship scheme - is contract farmed and grows a variety of arable crops.

Meanwhile, Ali runs a 15,000 acre farm - Waldersey Farms at Southery near Downham Market in the Norfolk/Cambridgeshire fens - on behalf of South Yorkshire Pensions Authority.

The village pub - which lies about a mile away - is managed by chef Vernon Blackmore, who also runs the Table and the Anchor in Woodbridge and the Duck in Campsea Ash.

The Kerrs started out by running the pub themselves but quickly realised it needed focus. 

Easton Grange and the Farmstead have clearly been a labour of love - with Ali focused on building work while Sian has been heavily involved in designing the lodges' interiors working with Framlingham interior designer Angie Ashby-Hoare.

"They have turned out exactly as I wanted them to in my head - I'm just really chuffed with them," she said.

The emphasis on local produce extends to the woodburners, fuelled by their managed woodlands and providing charcoal for the barbecues.

On arrival, guests are greeted with a welcome pack of local produce, including freshly-baked sourdough bread from Wakelyns bakery in Fressingfield and locally-churned Bungay butter.

The Kerrs are keen to develop the site's green credentials, so the gas heating boiler is hydrogen-ready. A borehole provides potable water for the site.

"Basically, it's an entirely different business to the weddings. This is a minimum of three nights' stay," explains Sian.

The site was soft-launched in August of 2022 - when the season was already far-advanced, but 2023 will be the first full year for the business.

Already guests have arrived from other parts of the country. Sometimes bridal parties will book the lodges, but more often than not they are booked by stand-alone guests, many of whom are already returning.

Ali trained in farm and business management at the Royal Agricultural College. He travelled and worked abroad before returning to the family farming business, where he was keen to improve biodiversity.

He met Sian in Hong Kong. At the time, she was a jet-setting consultant based in London and couldn't see herself living in the countryside - but she was quickly won over.

He believes the east Suffolk countryside is a "best-kept secret". Among the attractions for guests on the farm are its footpaths, stunning views and wild flower meadows.