Northern Lavender’s Fergus Corrigan on the joys of lavender

There’s no doubting that fields full of lovely lavender look oh-so romantic, but there’s a lot of hard graft that goes into this glorious sight.

Just ask Northern Lavender’s Fergus Corrigan. At the biggest organic lavender farm in the country at Asenby near Thirsk, his life is all about nurturing, – and weeding – often by hand, his 45 acres of lavender, herbs and veg.

Backbreaking work, although Fergus says there are plenty of upsides. ‘You can have a really terrible day, but being able to pick flowers to take home at sunset makes it all worthwhile. And the weeding itself can also be very therapeutic.

Beautiful views from the fields at Yorkshire Lavender. Image: Kathryn ArmstrongBeing able to look back on lovely clean rows. Then, when the lavenders shoot out their flower stems, you have to stop and just watch the fields change colour.’

Northern Lavender’s original plants hail from Provence, and despite the cooler climes of North Yorkshire, they’re thriving.

‘Bizarrely, the French lavender does a lot better then our English lavender,’ says Fergus.

‘I’ve read many journals and scientific papers, but lavender does what it wants in complete opposition to all the studies. Yes, you can plant into clay; yes, you can plant in the North of England; and yes, the French lavender survives snow. With the weather we have enjoyed over winter and early spring, it is looking as though it will be a cracking year.’

So how did the idea of having a lavender farm first take root? After studying Rural Enterprise and Land Management at Harper Adams University and working in organic veg production in Zimbabwe and the UK, Fergus says he was sitting in a field in the States, cutting hay, when he heard a lavender farmer on the radio.

Northern Lavender’s fragrant oil. Image: Sarah Caldecott ‘He sounded as though he loved it and it sowed the seed in me. Later, when Covid hit, and I really had to make some

life decisions, I looked into it further and it seemed to be a goer.’

He was equally determined to farm organically. ‘I was walking through some organic vegetable fields in Lincolnshire when the owner pulled a carrot, chomped down and said, if this had been grown using conventional farming, you’d have to know when it was last sprayed. I really like being able to walk into the fields at any time and pick anything and know what’s on it and in it.’

Another 60,000 plants have been put in this year, a combination of French lavender from cuttings and also two different varieties of English lavender. ‘Alongside, we have planted sunflowers and safflower for their oils,’ says Fergus.

Harvesting the lavender Image: Sarah Caldecott ‘Our annual cut flowers were drilled in early May and we have a collection of herbs that are looking great so far in the glasshouse.’

To help him, he has employed a student, who has been working on the farm since Christmas, and in the summer Northern

Lavender will be taking on up to 20 staff to cut and process the lavender and flower bunches. In August, the main oil harvest begins, which involves just a couple of people.

‘We carefully extract the precious oils in the height of summer and hand-make all our products on site, so we know exactly which fields our ingredients have come from,’ says Fergus. ‘We also aim to do about ten thousand bunches for florists and drying.’

Harvesting the lavender Image: Sarah CaldecottThe organic lavender is used in a range of nature-friendly cosmetics and fragrant candles, which are all hand-made just yards from the fields. Dried lavender bunches, lip balm, body butter, hand wash, pillow sprays, candles and diffusers are available to buy online at local markets and garden centres, and from independent shops in the North. All the products are certified vegan, except those with beeswax.

Lavender oil is believed to have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, which can help to heal minor burns and bug bites. Research suggests that it may be useful for treating anxiety, insomnia, depression, and restlessness.

This year, Fergus has added lots more veg to the Northern Lavender mix. ‘We have weird French beans and sweet corn, courgette flowers and borage for Pimms,’ he says.

‘Over winter, we have been working on a new soap made with our sunflower and safflower oils. This means that 95 per cent of ingredients will be from our own farm, which I think is pretty cool. We will also be releasing our own Herbs de Provence mix this year, and we now are able to send potted plants nationally too, so everyone can have some organic lavender in their garden. We have also been working with local companies to develop other lavender and herb-based products, but we are keeping those a secret.

Fragrant lavender loves Yorkshire as much as Provence says Fergus. Image: Sarah Caldecott Our goal is to become as self sufficient as possible and each year we grow more things to supply our workshop.’

Four years on from putting his first plants in the ground, Fergus has no regrets about going into organic lavender farming – ‘except maybe sowing herbs, which is insanely boring’.

Every year he compiles a book of the past 12 months. ‘Just a little document for our eyes only. Seeing the progression each time is all I need to keep on going. Being able to make a Mojito with my own mint is pretty sweet too!’

Northern Lavender, Asenby Business

Park, North Yorkshire, YO7 3GT

01845 44 44 54

northernlavender.co.uk