FAQs
Q.
Are you bringing back the Herb Farm preserves?
A.
No — because they never went away! The much-loved preserves are still made by Harry and Rosemary’s son, Rachel’s uncle Chris, and his son Stephen, at country-flavour.co.uk. You’ll find them widely available in local shops such as Cranstons. We’re focusing on teas and herbal blends for now.
Q.
Can we visit the Herb Farm and gardens?
A.
The Herb Farm and gardens are not open to the public (...yet!) but you will be able to find our teas in village shops, at farmers’ markets, and here on our online shop. And if you’re local, we can arrange free delivery; just use the free delivery for Ivegill locals, friends and family option at checkout.
Q.
Do you drink these teas yourself?
A.
Yes! John's love for herbs and herbal teas was probably one of the driving catalysts for re-establishing Rachel's grandparents' family business here at The Herb Farm. He began planting herbs around the garden as soon as we moved in four years ago. And John's IBS was also the reason we hunted down the supremely delicate Yunnan black tea, produced in the Yunnan mountains only during March and April, when the mountain air is soft and cool, and very low in tannins that hurt the poor lad's stomach.
Q.
Wow, these teabags are big!
A.
That's not really a question, Steve, but we'll answer it anyway. Bigger, fuller teabags are inherently awesome - but they serve several purposes! We use full tealeaves. Our Herb Farm Tea is a proper cup of tea, as authentic as you are likely to find in this modern age. We like to think a Victorian gentleman would drink a cup from one of our leafy Yunnan teabags and not know the difference between that and his own finest tealeaves - although he wouldn't have known what a teabag was of course! And generous sizing doesn't stop with the Herb Farm Tea Yunnan leaves: there are full-on chunks of cinnamon and ginseng in our Winter Tea!
Furthermore in practical terms, with a good-sized teabag you can enjoy a good cuppa without brewing it for hours. OR, if you DO like to really seep the bag, you will love the fuller taste of a longer Herb Farm brew! Either way, the larger bag gives herbs or tea leaves room to expand properly. That means better infusion, stronger aroma and fuller flavour. Heat moves evenly through the entire blend; a tight bag forms a hot core and a cooler outside. A roomier bag avoids that: the liquid flows through the whole bag, keeping the temperature even and the extraction consistent. It means there's less “stewing”, more clarity. Small cramped bags often lead to stewing because the leaves are forced against each other. Larger bags allow freer movement, cleaner extraction, less bitterness and better separation of notes (mint vs lemon balm; cinnamon vs ginger). They're ideal for teapots.
Q.
Can I buy your tea using crypto?
A.
We have no idea.
Q.
Why are you donating 5% of profits to the village church?
A.
Several reasons. The Herb Farm's connection to the village church is strong. The peace garden was established there in memory of Rachel's grandmother. Furthermore, John has long been a supporter of our beautiful rural Cumbrian churches. Last but not least, we've been praying for The Herb Farm for years! Now we are living in a state of thankfulness, and we have to give something back!
Q.
What did you do before becoming The Herb Farmers?
A.
Rachel is a trained yoga teacher and dairy farmhand. She has also been a support worker.
John is a poet and former English teacher in secondary schools. He's worked in the hospitality industry and he has also spent time as a farmhand! More recently his fascination with quality food and drink led him to work for E. H. Booth & Co..
They are a husband and wife team, and have a young son.
Q.
How much herbal tea are you growing yourself?
A.
As of launch, right now, December 2025, we are not. That's because we are currently re-establishing the herb gardens and aim to be producing our Balm Tea from our own grown herbs within 2 years, as well as using other homegrown herbs in other products. In the meantime, we are learning the skills of blending and tea-making using the best stock we can find. All our teas are handcrafted ourselves - each teabag, made sustainably in Scotland and even supplied to us in compostable packaging, has been filled and tied carefully by us, from our carefully chosen ingredients, by our own hands. The gardens themselves have been mulched ready for winter, and fabric has been laid out to smother areas that have been converted to lawn which we can convert back to herb garden. In terms of the black tea... well, it's highly unlikely we'll manage to grow any of it in our Cumbrian climate!
Oh, and it goes without saying... we'd love beehives.
If you have any more questions, contact us here.