Home and Garden.
Lancashire
…… I have a room free from …
28/8 throughout September.
We are Anne and Matthew and live in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty near Lancaster less than half an hour from the Lake District and from the Yorkshire Dales. We have an organic vegetable garden and hens and our aim is to live without using commercial/ factory food sources all year round. We do buy in organic meat and milk but otherwise grow or trade our food. Anne is an avid food preserver using pressure canning, bottling, drying, fermenting, pickling. We are actively involved in working with our community to grow, compost and prevent food waste and we grow vegetable seedlings for distribution in the village. Anne is also a forager. We live with Reggie and Mabel (dogs) and 30 rescue hens (they are pets who provide eggs )in the centre of the village.
We are great for Wwoofers with a keen sustainability, environment and food interest, because we are hosts where the primary interest is to teach our way of life, and the mindset of growing/preserving. You will share our lives and learn a lifestyle centred around growing the food that we eat and living with as small an environmental footprint as we possibly can.
We have two greenhouses, a poly tunnel, poly house, a vegetable garden at home and two allotments for potatoes and onions, garlic, beets and shelling beans. We need to grow as much in a small space as possible and waste as little as possible ( even onion/garlic roots are dried for stock powder, pea pods are made into pea juice for soups,) We try to use all parts of the plant. You might help with preparing the land, sowing seed, weeding, watering, repotting, harvesting, preparing beds, pruning, composting, foraging, preserving the harvest (ideally to be preserved without freezing and with minimum energy use) and pet care. There is a lot to do, but it is not back breaking and we totally believe in enjoying the garden, so don’t want our lives to be too much of a chore. We regularly hold open vegetable garden sessions where people can come and ask questions about the plot and we are passionate about passing on skills and knowledge. We are ideal for someone who is interested in learning to grow and gaining skills outside in the garden but also learning and helping with the preparation and culinary skills needed to preserve everything you grow. At certain times of year we forage a lot - hogweed, herbs/medicinals, nettles for cordage, crabapples, wild garlic,mustards, whinberries, blackberries,cherries, damsons/ bullaces/ sloes. The foraged foods are then preserved and add interest to our diet throughout the year.
Matthew is very hands on with repairs and the infrastructure needed for the garden.
We have spare bedrooms in the house( it is a moderately large/ elegant house, 5 bedrooms), with use of the family bathroom and shower room and you are welcome to make yourself at home in the house. .We can accommodate most diets. We do eat meat but it isn’t necessaryand we would happily eat/ cook vegan or vegetarian .
I am musical and play the piano reasonably well and other instruments less well. We have lots of instruments which you are welcome to play. I enjoy crafting and would say I am an eager learner. My garden and food preservation is my main hobby. The village we live in is not really beautiful but we are surrounded by very beautiful and varied countryside, arguably we are within 30 minutes of the most beautiful countryside in the UK. The transport links are good with a train station in Lancaster and easy access to the Lake District, Dales or Bowland Fells. You are an hour train ride from the Northern Cities of Manchester and Liverpool. We will happily show you some of the local sights and take you to local market towns. We have B4rn superfast internet.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Poultry farming
Wild foraging
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Seed saving or production
Cheesemaking
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Bakery
Traditional crafts
Food justice / sovereignty
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
0.2
Hectares
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0.4
Acres
Anne
Member since 2025
Languages spoken:
English, French, Spanish
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 1 day
Lancashire
Lancaster train station/ Manchester Airport
Reviews
Emma
France
•
June 2026
My stay at Anne & Matthew's place was short, but rich of shared moments, with the hosts and the other woofers.
Anne is such a kind person, always caring for you and keen to share her passion for gardening and a sustainable way of life. During this week we did some planting of tomatoes, basil, leeks and beans, some weeding and taking care of hens's health. The garden is really beautiful in may, and it felt nice to be there, to work or juste to enjoy the place with a book.
Anne took us to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales and to visit Lancaster, she knows a lot about the area where she lives and always has a lot to share about the history.
Thank you for your warm welcome during this week !
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Kiana
Germany
•
June 2026
I had a wonderful time staying with Anne, Matthew, and of course the dogs, Reggie and Mabel. It was such a great experience. Anne is really knowledgeable about everything she does, so I was able to learn a lot from her.
I found it really interesting spending time with the other WWOOFers and sharing our cultures as well. Matthew and Anne also took us on some trips, which was a great way to explore the surrounding countryside.
I really enjoyed my stay and would definitely recommend staying with them.
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Tamaki
Japan
•
May 2026
I had an amazing experience at this home. I learned about gardening, organic foods and sustainability and many other things. I enjoyed making sourdough and yogurt, which was really interesting to me!
As for activities, I helped with gardening, checked hens’ health, joined a community activity as a volunteer, watched a film about environmental issues and stuff like that. I also played board games with other WWOOFers sometimes. I have never played the board game, but I loved it! Visiting Lancaster and the Lake District was a really great opportunity, which made me love the countryside in the UK even more.
Anne and Matthew were very kind and they talked to me about life in the UK and local areas. I learned a lot from this experience! Anne also helped me improve my spoken English. Everything is a wonderful and I really appreciate this precious opportunity.
Thank you so much for welcoming me into your beautiful home and gardens.
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Jane
United Kingdom
•
April 2026
Anne and Matthew were very welcoming and generous with their knowledge, skill sharing and home. Loved spending time with the dogs Reggie and Mabel. This was my first WWOOF so I was very grateful for such a positive experience.
Morrigan
United Kingdom
•
April 2026
I couldn't recommend [Host] enough! Anne, Matthew, and the other wwoofers were so welcoming and accommodating. I learned so much during my stay and hope to come back soon. Anne and Matthew were very flexible with ability levels and super helpful getting us to hikes on days off. We were very well fed and taken care of and I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with them and spending time in the garden and allotments.
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Mika
Australia
•
April 2026
My experience at [Host] was great. Anne and Matthew have a plethora of knowledge and experience to share, and WWOOFing here will certainly allow you to grow your own knowledge around plants, foraging, cooking, preserving, animals and home diy skills. I cannot stress how great Anne and Matthew are at hosting, as well as their lovely dogs Reggie and Mabel, who will also make you feel welcome at [Host]. Whether you are working in the home garden or the at the allotment, the work feels rewarding and satisfying. If any of these things interest you, I highly recommend [Host] for you WWOOFing stay. Thank you Anne and Matthew for your hospitality, if ever I am in the UK again, I will definitely be back.
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