Things you didn't know fforest did

Over the years, fforest has developed into a place to Stay Play Dream, an idyllic holiday destination where the outdoors is embraced and good food is enjoyed. But fforest has some lesser known offshoots that you may not be so familiar with...

 

fforest Gather

A very special event that brings the best of fforest together, a holiday full of creative engagement with the vibe of a festival.

Two week long family friendly gatherings with emphasis on engagement, exchange and fun. The great outdoors, activity for mind, soul and body, creativity and simple pleasures have always been bound to what we offer. At Gather, a revolving cast will provide workshops, creative play and outdoor activity in the day; films, live music, DJs and performers in the evenings.
 

fforest feasts

8 course tasting feast celebrating the best of local produce from land and sea in the big barn at fforest farm.

We have had the pleasure of hosting fforest feasts since 2016. Over a long weekend we welcome friends from far and wide to come and share good food and great company. A special evening centred on a unique dining experience. You can come for the feast only or stay and be looked after for the whole weekend at fforest farm. Book now for the fforest Winter feast below.
 

 

fforest corporates

'How do you start a fire in your organisation? The sort of fire that everyone can help to build, that everyone wants to sit around, wants to talk around, wants to dream around. A fire that grows.' - fforest chief

fforest is an experience and a place that encourages engagement, collaboration and creativity. Whether it’s a workshop, a retreat, a conference or a reward for a hard-working team we have the space and facilities to cater for corporate events of varying sizes. We can organise activities and entertainment, if you need a helping hand. We’ll provide amazing food and the best little pub in Wales. From boutique to festival, we have a style to meet most alternative briefs.

 

fforest favourites

You may recognise our blankets & cushions when you stay with us, did you know you could take home your very own?

We design our own blankets and cushions which are woven at a local woollen mill, enamel mugs in four colourways & featuring the fforest logo, woollen socks designed by us and made by Corgi, vintage rucksacks, aprons made from surplus tents & tarps, tea towels – lots of things to make your stay at fforest cosier. These can all be purchased at our fforest online shop so you can take a little bit of fforest home with you.

fforest weddings

10 years of unique events in 200 acres of bliss. 3 days of woodland, fields, festival, fun, no boundaries. A blank canvas.

fforest has hosted 150 weddings since 2008. Our venues have evolved as a celebration of the outdoors and an appreciation of the comfort offered by our indoor spaces. With the addition of the beautiful cedar barn and Ty Fforest farmhouse we are now able to host lavish weddings throughout the year, with guests staying on site and being treated to scrumptious fforest food throughout their stay.
 

 

fforest Glow camps

Inspiration, creativity & wellness. We have learnt that intimate retreats are full of the small things that can make a big difference.

Our Glow Camps are either creative or active retreats with a common theme: to share, support & inspire each other. We have always promoted "Active Relaxation" - clearing your mind through the challenge of learning new skills and the physical demands of a tough day's play. We also understand the luxury of just doing nothing. Sit on the deck, watch the deer, read a book, or just dream. Glow camps are the perfect combination of the two - physical challenge interspersed with relaxation and comfort.



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Garden projects: Early Spring in the fforest gardens, veg patches & polytunnels

The fforest gardens are as old as fforest, 10 years to be exact. From the very beginning we knew that if we were to be serving food, then we would grow what we could ourselves. And so, the fforest gardens were designed to provide fresh produce for our kitchen.

Our lovely gardener, Brook, gives an insight into the work she's currently doing in the fforest gardens; what she's been planting and why. Get your planting tips here!

Late Winter / Early Spring


The first thing to be done is sow the tomato and chilli seeds in a propagator to get a crop as early as possible. This is done in mid February. At the beginning of March I start sowing lettuce to grow in the polytunnel, and some flowers for the accommodation. Through mid to late March and April I'll start the sowing of chard, french beans, kale, cucumber, courgettes, beetroot and lettuce at roughly 2 week
intervals to try and get a continuous crop. In late April I'll sow squash for the autumn.

Late Winter and early Spring is when the set up for Spring planting needs to be done as well. The autumn fruiting raspberries are cut back to the ground to re-shoot. The other berries we have (blackcurrant, red currant, white currant) are also pruned at this time. We're also hoping to grow some strawberries this summer! The beds get mucked and fertilised. Garlic that was planted last autumn is fed with blood fish and bone feed. The polytunnel gets cleaned to try and get rid of any pests and diseases and also to try and maximise the light getting in.

Summer


The best thing about Summer in the polytunnel is the tomato plants! We grow about 120 plants; a mix of different varieties in red, green, yellow, orange, purple and even striped! My favourites are Dr. Carolyn Pink, Emerald green and Orange Banana. Nearly all the seeds we get are from Real Seeds, you can get some really interesting varieties from them and they have good germination rates. This year Sian had requested we grow some Japanese veg after their trip: Daikon - a white radish and Shiso - a herb that looks similar to nettle. Other things we grow for the kitchens are courgettes, chard, kale, lots of rocket and lettuce, oriental greens. This year I'm trying out an amazing squash I discovered at Glebelands which is Buttercup Squash.
Where we can we keep the gardens as organic as possible, using organic fertilisers and feeding the tomatoes with comfrey tea. We also use companion planting to try and deter pests, some companions are meant to encourage the growth of what they are planted with. Having good pollinator flowers around also encourages natural predators to pests such as the ladybug which eats aphids.

'With the cut flowers we have we're trying to grow a number which are good for insects, as their numbers are dwindling and their natural habitats are becoming ever smaller. It seems right to do our bit and provide some food and space for them.'



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