Sustainable and ethical farm in Hampton Gay on the edge of Oxford

Oxfordshire

33 reviews • Updated 3 months ago

*Minimum length of stay: 3 weeks* About us Our farm is family-run in Oxfordshire and was established about 20 years ago. Most of us live on site and either work on the farm or commute to work outside whilst we employ a few people, both live-in and commuters, to help run our business. Our main activity is poultry farming. Everyday you would be helping us by feeding the chickens and keeping them healthy and happy, along with caring for the other animals - a small flock of sheep, a small herd of goats that we currently milk, a small cop of ducks, and our beloved Welsh pony Gracie. The rest of the day is always a mixture of weekly scheduled tasks and ad-hoc tasks matching the needs of the moment, both indoor and outdoor depending on the season and the weather. About you We don't expect you to know anything about farming - you're here to learn! What we expect from you as a wwoofer is to be punctual, organised and have a can-do attitude. We kindly ask that you respect other people, wwoofers, family, staff and visitors at all times. It means that we also expect you to be respectful of your living space and others', which includes keeping communal areas clean and tidy after yourself and contributing to daily housekeeping tasks. Life on our farm is very trying at times and therefore we would love you to come ready to take on any challenge, whether it be rain and mud, slugs and spiders or smelly chicken houses! What to expect The help we will ask from you can be physically demanding at times, so no need to go to the gym whilst you are staying with us, we will take care of your everyday workout! You will be able to get a sense of what real farm work is like through seeing our staff in action and we can guarantee you won't get bored as there are always loads of things going on here, all year round. Being ready to get muddy and work outside rain or shine is a must! A farmer's life is not always easy and you will hopefully have learnt that by the end of your stay, but if you can take up the challenge you will also reap the rewards of life in the outdoors, the satisfying feeling of caring for the land and the animals and stronger resistance to all weathers! Living arrangements We usually have 2 to 3 wwoofers at a time during winter and up to 5 woofers in the summer. Our wwofers accommodation is separate from the family house, so you will be living together with the other wwoofers, sharing rooms of up to 3 - males and females separate. Your living spaces will be adjoined to the hearth building of the farm where everyone walks in and out everyday. As a result, although we do try our best to keep the space clean and tidy you should be aware that the place can get very busy (and dusty!) during the day, especially during summertime, and very muddy in wintertime, no matter how much swiping and mopping we try to do. On the other hand it is a great opportunity to meet many different faces, engage in interesting conversations, share tea and laughter, and practice your English if that is on your list! Daily schedule Days usually start at 8:00 am helping us letting out and feeding the animals, then you will be given a few tasks to get on with until lunch for which you get an hour, then you might be asked to help with one more task in the afternoon and finish around 3pm. From 3 to 3:30 there is a mandatory housekeeping slot so that we all contribute to keep our shared living space clean, tidy and enjoyable! You are exempt from it on your days off but we still expect you to keep your living quarters clean and tidy after yourself, as you would at home (we hope!) for your own sake as well as others'. Diets and cooking arrangements We can accommodate both meat eaters and vegetarian diets, gluten free and possibly other requirements as long as it doesn't imply severe allergies. This is because we cannot guarantee the prevention of cross-contamination in a shared kitchen. We provide all the basic ingredients of a balanced diet, fruit and veg, pasta, rice, bread, dairy etc... and we also provide some meat from our own production weekly: off-cuts, giblets, surplus items. All our meat is Halal. You will be expected to self-cater, sometimes cooking only for yourself and sometimes cooking shared meals together with other wwoofers. You will also always be expected to do your own washing up and share the cleaning when cooking with others. Community life We try to organise family & wwoofers dinners which are an opportunity to get to know each other a little better and share about everyone's cultures. Your living quarters are equipped with a piano and a pool table, both of which you are welcome to use during your free time. Most evenings might be quiet, giving you the opportunity to relax and do your own thing, whether it be study, read, go for a wonder around the farm or simply sit on the sofas by the wood burner and get a well deserved rest. Internet/WIFI access Please note that WIFI is available in the evenings through our farm mobile hotspot, but isn't super fast and might not be available during the day when staff members are working in the office. The internet cover isn't great in the area and therefore, neither WIFI nor mobile data work very well. It is enough for basics such as messages and emails, but doesn't handle downloads and screening/video platforms so well. If you have time-sensitive work such as studying and handing back assessments, you might need to consider how reliant you are on the internet before deciding on a visit as we cannot guarantee constant fast connection. What to bring We will send you a fully comprehensive list once a visit is agreed, but here are the essentials. Wellies are mandatory during wintertime in the British countryside, and good outdoor shoes that can handle mud during summertime. Clothes that you don't mind getting dirty or damaged, and warm outdoor and indoor clothing for the winter. Note that in the countryside it tends to feel colder than in town. Summer evenings get chilly too. Be prepared for rain anytime of the year - A LOT of rain. We do provide bedding and bath towels, but you will have to bring your own soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrush etc... we provide basic laundry facilities (washing machine and washing powder, clothes hangers - but no clothes dryer). If our farm has caught your interest, please send us a message and tell us a bit about yourself and what brings you here. We will get back to you and possibly set up a call for both of us to get a better picture before agreeing on a visit :) Looking forward to hearing from you! More about our farming methods and practices Small scale meat processing We butcher all our chickens on the farm and we also prepare some lamb and beef meat, burgers and sausages, so there is an opportunity to learn about small scale meat processing. The farm supplies its customers directly either from our weekend farm shop and the local farmers market and an online shop. Wwoofers do not have to get involved and usually do not help with the business side of the farm, but the opportunity is there if you wish to learn about it. Garden and orchard We have a small vegetable garden, active from March to October, which supplies the family and the farm café. We need a lot of help there from spring onward, planting, mulching, weeding, and later on harvesting and closing down for wintertime. Since we started in 2002 we have also planted many trees which we manage sustainably to provide all the heat energy on the farm. In the summer we cut and collect the wood which we will be burning to keep us warm during the cold months. We have also been growing a small orchard of native fruit trees and that means we can harvest our own apples, pears, coins, plums, cob nuts and medlars in the autumn - and make delicious jam and tarts! Building and farm maintenance We have constructed all the buildings on the farm, a lot of trial, error and learning resulting in the building of our large cob earthen farmhouse about 10 years ago. We have a lot of building projects still to be brought to life and would love to hear from people with carpentry, electric, plumbing or any other construction skills as those are always needed in a way or another. We would also love to welcome wwoofers with outdoor work experience such as fencing, woodcutting and people able to help with some basic repairs around the farm. We planted a lot of trees including a small woodland of willow, hawthorn and oak and hedgerows to enable us to create a silvopasture system of rotational grazing. We are regularly improving our rainwater harvesting and water storage systems across the farm. We also want to start renovating our kitchen and café area and making it a beautiful and bright space, so there is a lot to do for people with the right skills! Our ethos We farm naturally and use no herbicides or pesticides and no medication for the animals other than natural remedies. We also have a strict policy to minimise waste, use sustainable energy and build natural sustainable buildings. We believe everyone should have access to a green space where they can learn what we fail to learn in school; living with the land and the seasons, caring for animals and knowing where our food comes from, foraging, caring for the land as shepherds of the Earth. Therefore, we are dedicated to education and try to share our experiences and way of life as best as we can through wwoofing, farm visits, workshops and open days throughout the whole summer season and we usually hold a yearly festival in August. Have a look at our website to find out what's going on! Certifications: Natural farming & responsible stewardship If our farm has caught your interest, please send us a message and tell us a bit about yourself and what brings you here. We will get back to you and possibly set up a call for both of us to get a better picture before agreeing on a visit :) Looking forward to hearing from you!

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Fruit or nut farming

Poultry farming

Sheep or goat farming

Forestry

Meat processing

Vegetable or fruit preservation

Natural cosmetics fabrication

Traditional crafts

Green Building

Methods or systems

Holistic management

No-till farming

Regenerative agriculture

Host type

Production farm

18.2 Hectares | 45 Acres

Accommodation

3 WWOOFers

Bedroom

Campsite

Children not accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Vegetarian

Length of stay

3-4 weeks

Willowbrook

Member since 2019

Languages spoken: Arabic, English, French, Spanish

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Response rate: 97% Response time: typically within 2 days

MapLibre | Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

Oxfordshire

Pick up available from Oxford Parkway Station / 24 bus line from Oxford Magdalen Street stops at the end of our lane (Hampton Gay Turn)

Reviews

Sumire

Norway • January 2026

Thank you for hosting me and I’m so grateful to be able to join [Host] farm as a woofer. Felt a lot of kindness and warmth of people, and the new feeling of the meaning of living as a human being. Not only farming experience interacting with animals and their lives but also connection between other woofers and workers all over the world. Thank you for an amazing opportunity to even more open my heart to the world where I’ve never seen, it will my lifelong experience. Thank you so much for sharing me a lot of beautiful opportunities. Looking forwards to visiting you in the future walking around the farm to feel the time I spent in the farm🤝🏻🪷 wishing you all the best.

Reply from Willowbrook

Dear Sumire, Thank you so much for this lovely review, we are really happy that you enjoyed your time with us and found it a valuable experience. We all enjoyed your compagny and we are so grateful for all the hard work you did on the farm. Looking forwards to seeing you again perhaps, and all the best with your studies and future endeavours.

Emma

France • December 2025

I spent two amazing weeks at [Host] Farm, and I wish I could go back and stay longer already! I learned so much, experienced so many new things and felt very comfortable at the farm. The family welcomed me so warmly and treated me with kindness and patience as I tried new things. I loved interacting with the animals each day and getting to connect with the paddock to plate process more closely. I'll cherish the memories I made at [Host], and I hope I can go back one day.

Reply from Willowbrook

Thank you Emma! We had a lovely time having you on the farm, and all your hard work in the new kitchen was very much appreciated! We had enriching conversations and good laughter over those 2 weeks and we would love to see you back if you travel around Oxfordshire again. The kids really loved you too!

Pia-Luise

Germany • November 2025

Thank you to the Willowbrook Family for hosting us for such a long time. My friend and I originally planned to stay for only 3 weeks, but because we couldn't find another farm, we stayed for much longer, which wasn't a problem at all! The farm is very busy, lots of tasks to be done and lots of people. Every single person we met was kind and helped us whenever we had a problem. We learned so much, not only because of our work, but also just by talking to all the different people on the farm.

Reply from Willowbrook

Thank you for the lovely review! We loved having your energy and enthusiasm around, wishing you both all the best and amazing travels. Have fun in the other Shire!

Mehdi

France • September 2025

Nothing is done by chance, everything is written. On a whim, I do a search, find the ideal farm and commit myself to an unforgettable experience. Maybe the midlife crisis, I needed to recharge, to go back to basics, to see something new but at the same time inked in me. Being younger, I had the chance to experience life in simple and authentic things through my farm grandparents. I was able to find part of that within the [Host] family farm. To this, is added the spirit of solidarity, mutual aid, and sharing. A big bravo to this family and to this magnificent project, only happiness inshallah. First woofing very satisfactory, I learned a lot and I highly recommend this farm. It is a farm with many assets and you will be able to enjoy a warm setting and top-notch organization. Thank you to this family 😉

Reply from Willowbrook

Mashallah thank you so much for staying with us and for this review Mehdi! Having you in the team was a blast and we wish you all the best with your next endeavours Inshallah. Many thanks from the Willowbrook family 🙏🏻

Cherry

China • August 2025

This is my first WWOOFing experience, and I had a really wonderful time here.Every day working is very heavy but I learned farming skills from many different kinds of work and built great friendships with fellow WWOOFers and family members. It has truly been an unforgettable moment in my life, and I’m deeply grateful for everything.

Reply from Willowbrook

Thank you so much for this lovely review Cherry! It was great having you around. We all miss your positive energy!

Mina

France • August 2025

My experience at [Host] was really great. I’ll never forget it ! I spent a few weeks there and had the chance to learn a lot, not only about farming, but also about myself and others. I appreciated being part of the daily life on the farm. The hosts trusted me, and I’m really grateful for that. I had the opportunity to try many different tasks – from the morning routine, to collecting eggs, harvesting fruits, doing some creative painting, and even helping at the butchery and the café during the festival. I found it very rewarding. What I appreciated the most was meeting people from different backgrounds and working together and sharing good moments with woofers and the member of the family. I had a positive experience and I’m thankful for everything I learned. At the beginning, there was a problem with the washing machine and the water, but I managed to adapt with simple solutions until a new one arrived. It was part of the adventure, and it actually helped me become more resilient and ressourceful. Thank you for everything.

Reply from Willowbrook

Thank you so much for those kind words Mina, it was a pleasure for us all to host you! The way you took on challenges with a positive attitude was beautiful to witness and much appreciated. Thank you once more for all your help, especially coming up to and over the festival.