Hampton Estate Naturally Reared News July 2026
Amazingly I was right about our June beef day, and it was an absolute scorcher as predicted. We almost ran out of steak as barbeques were ready to be fired up and everyone enjoyed home made elderflower or iced coffee rather that the hot stuff. And as I write I wonder whether FRIDAY 7th AUGUST will be the same? Our second heat wave this summer seems to be continuing at the moment but will it last until our next beef day on the 7th of August?
Whether it does or doesn’t we have excellent stocks of steaks, cuts, joints, sausages, beefburgers on the beef front and just at the moment excellent stocks of Hampton wild roe venison all waiting for your order. You can be perfectly flexible with a couple of sirloin or flatiron steaks and a packet of beefburgers but make sure you also have braising steak and a mouthwatering topside joint in case the barbeque is put away as would be the case in a normal summer and a roast is needed. Check through our beef order list here and our venison information here and pop your order over to jameswindridge@hamptonestate.co.uk. James will ensure it is logged, prepped and ready and waiting for you on the 7th. Top tip for August, James’ new idea of topside steaks went down a treat and we will be repeating. Cook for three to four minutes a side over high heat and for a Saturday lunch special pop into two slices of sough dough with rocket, sliced tomatoes, a good dollop of mayo, salt and pepper.
Last week we had to postpone our volunteering day for the first time ever, but ragwort pulling in 30-degree heat is just one step too far. Our next volunteering day is scheduled for 16th October, and we look forward to seeing as many as possible then.
We are also planning a ‘meet the cows walk’ on Puttenham Common either one evening or a Saturday morning and will let you know date and time. These are always extremely popular and give everyone a chance to learn more about the cows, their No Fence collars and the wonderful environment they inhabit. James will also be explaining the expansion of our No Fence system so that now, all our cows have collars and in due course the estate’s fencing will be the bare minimum. We are all really impressed with the system, and James’s regular orders for more collars and his starring role in the No Fence promotional film has granted him the status of No Fence ambassador.
In this heat the hops are struggling and would just love some water, but I am confident that we will have a crop and we will also have decorative hops for sale during harvest. We will be selling our decorative hop bines from the hop oast from the last week of August until the end of the second week in September and do book one with your beef order. They are a fabulous addition to any home and give a glorious aroma as they dry, which they do naturally once hung in place. Do not disturb a bine once artistically positioned and it will last for about a year looking lovely, won’t drop leaves and will be the center of attention.
Waggoners Campsite is incredibly popular this summer and Sonja our campsite manager is receiving rave reviews for her stewardship and enthusiasm. Everyone is loving their camping experience and there are plans afoot to extend the number of cold showers, they are just so popular. And similarly The Waggon Sauna is gaining huge popularity under the professional guidance of sauna manager Elenid. The views, the cold showers and her fine mint tea are all getting great feedback and five-star reviews. Have a look at both Hampton enterprises and surprise yourself with a booking.
We look forward to seeing you on 7th August come rain or shine, for beef chat, for drinks which will dependent on the weather and for cake which will be as smooth and scrummy as always. Do send your order over to James asap to avoid any disappointment.
Best wishes
Bill and Bridget
Hampton Estate Naturally Reared News June 2026
After a scorching end to May we are grateful for the rain that came in with June, our pastures and hops particularly are crying out for water. This changeable weather has its complications, not only in farming but also in the decision over what on earth to cook!
Fortunately all culinary dilemmas can all be resolved because our next Beef Collection Day is on FRIDAY 26th June and we have fabulous supplies of all beef. Two outstanding carcasses are hanging in the bespoke hanging room at Provenance Cuts deep in the Surrey Hills and all we need are your orders. Everything is up for grabs, from prime fillet to prime mince, from stewing steak to shin, there’s liver, picanha, topside and much much more. Check out our beef page on the website grab inspiration and great ideas and pop your order over to James who is ready and waiting (jameswindridge@hamptonestate.co.uk) and will make sure it’s all ready for you to collect on the 26th.
Our extremely popular beef sausages are available to order and go hand in hand with our handmade 100% beef beefburgers. That’s a lot of hands.
And don’t forget our wild roe venison, stalked on the estate and amazingly flavoursome. It’s buck (male) season at the moment, and the bodies have been superb. It’s 100% naturally wild meat as the deer browse the leaves and grasses across the estate. Our roe venison page is here and again send your order to James as above.
Last week (Thursday 28th June) we were all thrilled to see so many of our friends and customers with their families at our Hampton Local Farm Evening where we hoped to show everyone how we farm and how our regenerative ethos fits into all that we do across the estate. It was fabulous to see so many (357 free tickets were taken up) and as well as some explanations and helpful discussion there were bales to play on, ice creams and berries to eat and Longdog beer to drink. The pond dipping was extremely popular as were the forestry demo and gun dog display. We even sold Hampton beef and wild roe venison, and welcome to our new customers if this is your first newsletter.
James and team have just 1 cow left to calve, what a success, and all cows and calves are enjoying some great grass in the park. In exceptionally hot weather it’s important that the herd has good shade and it’s been amazing to see what a tight group they can get into under a tree, all with tails swishing. Natural fly swatters!
Elsewhere on the estate we are celebrating moths and nightjars at our evening walk on Puttenham Common also on Friday 26th June, book here if you would like to join the event. Our next volunteering days are also up in lights on the web.
Check our website for great news and reviews about The Waggon Sauna, and don’t forget that Waggoners Campsite is up and running. May Bank Holiday saw our best occupancy rate ever at the campsite with three completely full days over the weekend.
We look forward to seeing you at Hampton (GU10 1JF) on June 26th between 10.30am and 3.30pm but first do send your order over to James.
Very best wishes
Bill and Bridget
Hampton Estate Naturally Reared News April 2026
Our next Hampton Beef Day will be on FRIDAY 15th MAY and if this current spell of sunshine and blue skies continues it will be a definite barbeque stocking up event. Two fabulous beef bodies are hanging in the bespoke cold store at Provenance Meats tucked away in the Surrey Hills and James is ready and waiting for your order.
How about a steak selection of ribeye, sirloin, rump and flat iron. This would cover all the bases, and you could have a proper tasting experience with marks out of ten for each steak to compare and contrast. Accompanied by a good Merlot it would be a great start to spring, and fresh new season asparagus would also be a delicious accompaniment, they work so well on the barbeque.
But as always we have more than steak on offer at this stage of the month. There’s delicious roasting joints, braising and stewing steak, prime mince, liver, heart, kidney and oxtail, our handmade beef sausages, our 100% beefburgers (also critical to your BBQ) the best short ribs imaginable, plus a host of other joints and cuts. Have a look at our beef list www.hamptonestate.co.uk/beef/ and you will suddenly be ordering Osso Bucco, spider steaks and a picanha. The beef world is your oyster, just let James know what you want Jameswindridge@hamptonestate.co.uk.
Don’t forget that our wild roe venison is also available to purchase and supplies are good at the moment. A fillet, a haunch, some steaks or simply diced and minced will all be bursting with flavour, is all 100% wild and will have been stalked on the estate by ace shot Paul. You’ll find details here.
Elsewhere around the estate the cows are busy calving, the hops are starting to grow properly and will soon need training up their strings and Waggoners Campsite is open for the camping season with the brilliant Sonja running it this year fresh from a couple of years running the campsite on Bryher in the Scilly Isles. For all this year’s information do check the website and book in; Waggoners Campsite | Surrey Hills, Near Farnham & Guildford.
As importantly as the campsite opening is the Waggon Sauna opening which took place just before Easter. Elenid our wonderful new sauna manager is in charge of the latest Hampton venture. It’s our off grid woodfired sauna, sitting at about 80 -85 degrees C, with huge views across the Surrey Hills, accompanied by safari style cold water showers, mint tea and half time oranges. Bookings are available for Thursday, Friday Saturday and Sunday, there’s plenty of parking, and Elenid has had lots of very positive feedback. Go to www.thewaggonsauna.co.uk for all the information needed and there’s an incredibly simple to use and easy booking system.
It’s Open Farm Sunday season over the next few weeks when farms around the country open their doors and show visitors what they are doing on the land. Having taken a year off last year we are back with a new format. We are holding a Local Farm Evening on Thursday 28th May from 5pm to 8pm and would love to see you. We will have lots for everyone to explore and learn – a farm tour to meet our cows, watch a forestry demo, learn about the precious wildlife at Hampton, dabble in pond dipping and much much more. There will also be ice creams and beer available. To book a place please go to www.trybooking.com/uk/gguc. It’s a free event and everyone is very welcome however space is limited so do book early.
We will be open as usual at 10.30am on Friday 15th May and please send your beef and venison order over as soon as possible to avoid any disappointment.
With our best wishes
Bill and Bridget
Hampton Estate Naturally Reared News March 2026
March has come in like a lamb but will it go out like a lion as the saying predicts? Either way March will go out with lip smackingly delicious Hampton beef as our pre-Easter beef day is on Friday 27th March, two magnificent carcasses are hanging and James is already taking orders.
An Easter roast of carvery rib, our premium roasting joint renowned for intense marbling, tenderness and rich flavour is high on the list for wowing the family or friends. It’s essentially a rack of ribeye and looks fabulous. Carvery ribs normally come in 2 or 3 ribs and surrounded by the end of the winter veg (roast parsnips, potatoes and cauliflower), a thick yummy gravy and a good red it will be remarkably popular. This will be more of the lion end of the month.
Alternatively, if March is still looking extremely mild then an Easter barbeque will be on the books and we have every style and type of beef steak available from fillet to hanger via ribeye, sirloin, rump, flatiron and spider. And don’t forget a pack or two of Hampton beef sausages which will keep everyone happy either hot or cold.
Simply have a look at our web page for beef, decide what’s needed and send your order over to James at jameswindridge@hamptonestate.co.uk and he will sort it.
Stalker Paul has been out as the mornings are lighter earlier, and we have good supplies of Hampton wild roe venison available, minced, fillets, diced and steaked. This is the ultimate wild meat, so rich in flavour and so easy to cook. Again, have a look at our webpage and zip your order over to James.
Elsewhere around Hampton our Fuggle hops are being strung, with strings to each plant ready for them to grow up, the cows are loving some sunshine and last year’s calves have all been weaned to give their mums a bit of peace before this year’s calving. On Puttenham Common we are opening up more views with judicious thinning of silver birch to the north of General’s Pond which will allow a more diverse habitat which we really hope will entice the nightingales back in due course.
The Waggon Sauna, our latest Hampton enterprise (woodfired, estate timbered, off grid sauna and showers) is really taking shape and sauna manager Elenid will be taking bookings via the website which will go live very soon at www.thewaggonsauna.co.uk. Social media links to this fabulous addition to the estate are Instagram Facebook for more information until then, and you will find the entrance off Seale Lane at the Waggoners Campsite turning.
Talking of Waggoners Campsite we are delighted that our 2026 campsite manager will be Sonja who joins us at the end of the month. Sonja has great experience of running and hosting a campsite in the Scilly Isles (Bryher) and we are looking forward to welcoming her to Hampton and to a great camping season. The wild woodland showers are about to be hoisted back into place and the pitch posts knocked in to mark the pitches.
It looks like Easter is all set. Delicious beef and venison, a hot stunning sauna and the thought of camping at Waggoners.
We all look forward to seeing you on Friday 27th March when your order will be ready, coffee and cake will be on the table, and we can catch up on foodie discussion. Please do pop your order over to James as soon as possible as we hate to disappoint anyone and we know there will be lots of interest.
With best wishes
Hampton Estate Naturally Reared News February 2026
Many people feel that the best part of February is its end, when we can cast the month aside and look forward to better things. But this year it’s the penultimate day of the month which is the real winner as it’s our February beef day which takes place on Friday 27th. Only one more day to go and we are roaring into March and possibly spring.
On this very optimistic note we really look forward to seeing everyone at Hampton on Friday 27th to pick up their bag of beef, or venison, or sausages or most likely a mixture of the lot.
We have excellent supplies of all beef joints, cuts, roasts, steaks, from prime fillet to roasting carvery ribs, from mince just oozing with flavour to sirloin steaks. Just take a look at our link here, decide what you need to restock, to create that culinary masterpiece or simply to throw together a spag boll, and wing your order over to jameswindridge@hamptonestate.co.uk and James will have your beef ready and waiting for you on the 27th.
Don’t forget our beef sausages, and for those who came to our recent fabulously successful supper club, Beyond the Fillet, there’s heart, liver, tongue, oxtail and silverside to make your own feast.
Stalker Paul has taken advantage of any dry moment, and we have good amounts of Hampton wild roe venison for you to order. As many know its like gold dust and there will be a rush so do pop your order in as soon as possible. Have a look at our wild roe venison page here, grab your venison recipe book and decide on what’s needed. In my view any wild roe venison is great, though my real favourite is a haunch, cooked fast and hard for about an hour and a quarter accompanied by roast parsnips and spuds with a redcurrant sauce. Perfect, and will feed at least 6.
By the end of the month all this year’s calves will be weaned from their mothers, allowing mum a period of grace before she calves again in April or May. Our oldest cow has had 9 calves and is looking fit and well for this year’s arrival. We will be feeding the weaned calves (weaners) our best hay to bridge any gap from losing their regular milk supply but in reality, most of them have weaned naturally already and are happy to head off for freedom.
In other news Waggoners Campsite opens just before Easter on April 2nd, and we are searching for our 2026 campsite manager to run the operation through the summer. You’ll find details here. We are also taking bookings for pitches via the website and are really looking forward to a summer of happy camping.
Equally exciting is the imminent arrival of our Waggon Sauna, our purpose built (entirely from estate timber) wood fired sauna with far reaching views over the Surrey Hills. Changing facilities, cold water showers and a woodland walk entranceway are all part of the experience, and this will be expertly managed by the newest member of the Hampton team, Sauna Manager Elenid.
Elenid is devising logos, opening hours, shower buckets, and every single facet of the latest estate enterprise including sauna hats. As soon as we are ready to open you will hear, and hopefully Elenid can tear herself away from the sauna to give you all the details on February 27th.
Please send over your order to James for beef and venison, and we really look forward to seeing you on the penultimate day of the month, 27th February for fresh coffee and tea, a piece of cake and your order will be waiting.
Very best wishes
Bill and Bridget
Join the Adventure at Waggoners Campsite and 2026 Season Dates
As the daffodils are starting to peek through at Hampton we are dreaming of longer, sunnier evenings and preparing for our sixth season at Waggoners Campsite. We can’t quite believe that what started as a pop-up campsite in 2021 is about to open for the sixth year! Since we popped up, we’ve welcomed over 12,000 people into our beautiful corner of Surrey Hills, enjoying woodland walks, early morning birdsong, woodland showers, campfires, and long nights under star-filled skies.
We’re now looking for the 2026 Waggoners Campsite Manager to join us for this season – someone who loves the outdoors, enjoys welcoming guests, and wants to help create those memorable moments that make Waggoners so special. This is a hands-on, outdoor role, overseeing day-to-day operations and ensuring the campsite runs smoothly. You can find all the details and apply here. Please do share this opportunity with anyone who might like to join our team. Any questions don’t hesitate to get in touch.
This year Waggoners Campsite will be open from 2nd April to 27th September 2026. As usual, the campsite is open Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun nights and we stay open for Monday nights on bank holiday weekends. We’ve launched our dates so you can book now! To book your pitch, head to www.waggonerscampsite.co.uk and click the book now button.
And incredibly excitingly, for 2026, we are opening our off-grid, woodfired, home-grown, woodland sauna, The Waggon. This project has been months in the planning, and the sauna will soon be up and running – we cannot wait! The sauna is a short woodland walk from the campsite so it is the perfect activity for your nature-filled wind down — more details are coming soon, keep your eyes peeled…
Thank you as always for all your support, whether you’ve visited us for beef, camping, or both. We’re so excited for the sunnier, warmer days ahead and hope to see many familiar and new faces at Waggoners in 2026.
Warm wild wishes
The Hampton Estate Team
Hampton Naturally Reared News January 2026
Welcome to our first newsletter of 2026 with news of our January beef collection day and details of exciting events and projects which are unfolding. It’s a very positive time of year for us all at Hampton as finishing touches are being applied….
First to our beef collection day on Friday 30th January which due to the time of year and the amazing success of our pre-Christmas beef day will be focusing on existing beef stocks for sale. We haven’t killed an animal for January, so we do not have the usual wide range of joints and cuts. We DO have great supplies of prime mince, of roasting joints (think silverside and topside), my favourite short ribs, assorted other cuts, and fabulously delicious liver, heart and kidney. This is a great opportunity to restock the fridge or freezer. There is no need to order, simply turn up and take pot luck. We will be open from 10.30am to 3.30pm, as usual, and first come first served.
Next our February Supper Club is at Myrtles Courtyard on Thursday 12th February. We are very excited to be hosting a winter supper club event which we’ve called Beyond The Fillet: Nose to Tail Nutrition and it’s going to be a magical evening celebrating our pasture for life beef.
We are delighted to be partnering with legendary local nutritionist Nicola Vaughan and renowned chef Robin Popham for our supper. Robin will be demonstrating how we can make the most out of the whole animal by cooking lesser-known cuts and Nicola will be talking us through the incredible nutritional benefits of pasture fed beef. This is going to be a delicious evening full of nourishing conversation and exciting discoveries. The fires will be lit, tables laid and drinks flowing, perfect for those wanting to learn more about nutrition, nose to tail cooking and how our pasture-fed cows are reared. There are limited spaces so book before they are snapped up, all food (multiple courses) drink and conversation included in the ticket price. Booking at https://www.trybooking.com/uk/FUQU
Our volunteering days are proving really popular and do check our website as we have days scheduled for each of the coming months. Last week saw a fabulous collaboration with Surrey Wildlife Trust, their expert hedge laying team and a host of eager volunteers, including our own team, all wanting to learn the art of hedge laying. The result can be seen as you leave Puttenham village towards Seale along the edge of the hop gardens and it looks completely stunning. Book a volunteer space here – https://www.hamptonestate.co.uk/volunteer-at-hampton/
You may have heard whispers about latest enterprise, The Waggon Sauna, our purpose built woodfired off grid sauna with far reaching views over the Surrey Hills. Built entirely from our own estate timber on a low loader trailer it has an integral changing room, big windows and space for 8 people to enjoy the sauna experience. Construction is under way not only of the sauna, but also the outdoor showers and the woodland path leading to the view. Keep your eyes peeled for the grand opening.
Come and see us on 30th January and pick up supplies. It’s not a full-blown day but we really look forward to seeing you and catching up on your own plans for 2026.
Very best wishes
Bill and Bridget