Feeding staff

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
Why does it have to be the wife cooking. Can’t you do it 😂

Big slow cooker, a couple of kg of beef steak cubes and the same of chopped onions browned off, few herbs and salt and pepper, a bottle of brown beer and a can of tomatos. Walk away for 6 hours... dinner done. Dumplings in half way through, or bread rolls.
 
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Neighbour used to bring a chippy tea to the silaging gang. One year the weather was catchy and they always seemed to end up going out for a few hours late in the day.
He had a good lot of silage to make and he said it cost him £2/ac in chips that year!! 😂😂
Contractor had a deal at one farm that theyd sheet the pit if the farmer got them fish and chips.
One day the farmer announced that it was getting a bit expensive so this time he’d just get chips.
He was told that he could keep his chips and his silage sheet.................he was glad to run and get them chips 😂
 

Ali_Maxxum

Member
Location
Chepstow, Wales
Interesting thread. 'How many feed staff' and then swiftly pass the baton to your O/H and then practically call out the people who don't or can't? Are you the one doing the home made pie and prepping spuds and veg, etc? Probably not.

We try our absolute best to feed and water our harvest gang (albeit casual) as and when we can but unfortunately it's just not always possible. We usually have a 'food fetcher' but quite often they're part of the team as well, including my O/H. Quite often it is just sausage and chips or a burger or a pizza and a crate of Thatchers. If the old girl pops up (doesn't live here any more) she will cook stuff in the day so all we have to do is reheat when we get home. The takeaway stuff so described as 'muck' is at least something to keep the worms at bay, if you don't want it, you can politely decline and not be so ungrateful.

Gone are the days where women are confined to the kitchen, nobody has outwardly said it but 4 pages here most of which suggest as such. We also don't have the summers 'like we used to' so when we do go, it is unfortunately a mad busy rush. I, myself tend not to eat much if at all during the day this time of year, bouncing around on a tractor for 12+hrs a day you don't really want a gut full of grub.

On the flipside I know exactly what it's like to not even be offered when they are stood there talking to you with a mug of coffee in hand. Most of which are good to at least offer, some really are awful and are almost marching you out the drive after you've thrown the last bale in. Some customers will go out and fetch pie and chips or sausage and chips and some cider or whatever, I know of 2 that still do the big cooked dinner but they are old school, couple of others make sandwiches out of probably 3 loaves on bread followed by 10 litres of tea!
 

Ceri

Member
Years ago, when lorries were handball off, 20 t load of Scotch seed in cwts arrived late morning.
We started unloading, as dinner time approached we were about halfway through, so old man says to driver 'do you stop for dinner'. Thinking driver would have something in the cab.
Quick as a flash driver said 'aye I will, thank you very much'.
Mother had to quickly set another place.
Wat u weren't gonna feed him after the poor bloke was humping al those bags off- u tight arse fudger........ 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
Years ago, when lorries were handball off, 20 t load of Scotch seed in cwts arrived late morning.
We started unloading, as dinner time approached we were about halfway through, so old man says to driver 'do you stop for dinner'. Thinking driver would have something in the cab.
Quick as a flash driver said 'aye I will, thank you very much'.
Mother had to quickly set another place.
Wonderful :)
 

JD-Kid

Member
Pretty certain you can get a 2nd one and do baked tatties in it too...
yea bro works in shearing shed. brought a air fryer gets the shed hands to crank it up
when worked in Aussie the gang I worked for chipped in brought a microwave for the gang so just brought food. to shed. easy to make another plate at night to reheat for lunch the next day
the slow cooker I use one while in forest for dinner put on in am when heading out then got a good feed. when return at night
some winner. meals. some get a dont do that again a few ciders fix the poor meals hahaha
 

Netherfield

Member
Location
West Yorkshire
My Mrs would always feed the gang at silage time, mainly, she said to make sure I got fed properly.

Useful having the farm shop there was usually something that was getting close to it's sell by date, Sunday would always be a big lump of thick rib of beef, Yorkshire puds,carrots and spuds.
 

Longlowdog

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Aberdeenshire
If anyone comes to my place they are offered a brew before they start, offered a brew mid morning, fed at lunch time, paid cash on the day and with a tip on top. Having a small place contractors rarely want to come for a first time but I never have trouble getting them back.
I've worked places where I was fed despite having a feed in my bag and I've done 16 hours on others without a cup of coffee.
If I'd been fed I made a point of telling employers I don't bill for lunch times, however...some places tell you to bill for all your hours and some places ask if you're going to bill for your lunch times. Guess which places do what? Aberdeenshire didn't get its reputation for nothing but there are still some wholesome and generous folk in the 'shire.
 

Goggles

Member
Location
Hertfordshire
When I lambed in Wales, over Easter, many moons ago, for a couple of brothers, we were treated as part of the family. Three of us lived in, with one of the brothers. We were fed toast and tea when we got up, cake and coffe at elevenses, roast at lunch, tea and cake at 5ish, hot supper at around 8. We worked 20 hour days though.
Where I work now, we always get fed a warm supper when we’re harvesting, and there’s always a cold drink or chocolate bar in the workshop fridge if you need a mid afternoon boost.
When we’re out fencing, off farm, it’s always appreciated when we’re offered a cuppa. Although we’ve had to turn offers down over the last 18 months.
The provision, or even just the offer of some refreshments, goes a long way, is never forgotten, and I never mind doing a little extra or going a bit later for those that do.
 
Location
East Mids
I am just intrigued that there still seems to be a Jill Archer World where farmer's wives have time to cook for a team. I have spent any spare time I had last month, in cooking freezer meals for us to eat at night, because I won't have time for it or am just too knackered now we are calving.

If I start work at 6 am and don't finish until 7 pm (with calving night checks /colostrum feeds as well) then I am not sure where I find the time to clean the house and cook for others! We have a sandwich and yoghurt / fruit at lunchtime.

The silage gang get a beer and an offer of crisps/chocs/fruit (which they usually decline). Sometimes they finish here at 2 pm sometimes at 7 pm so not even sure which meal I would be giving them, plus the boss would not look kindly on too much down time!
 

Turnip

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Aberdeenshire
I am just intrigued that there still seems to be a Jill Archer World where farmer's wives have time to cook for a team. I have spent any spare time I had last month, in cooking freezer meals for us to eat at night, because I won't have time for it or am just too knackered now we are calving.

If I start work at 6 am and don't finish until 7 pm (with calving night checks /colostrum feeds as well) then I am not sure where I find the time to clean the house and cook for others! We have a sandwich and yoghurt / fruit at lunchtime.

The silage gang get a beer and an offer of crisps/chocs/fruit (which they usually decline). Sometimes they finish here at 2 pm sometimes at 7 pm so not even sure which meal I would be giving them, plus the boss would not look kindly on too much down time!
Even Ruth couldn’t live up to the Jill Archer world so for most that world is long gone.
 

Wellytrack

Member
Interesting thread. 'How many feed staff' and then swiftly pass the baton to your O/H and then practically call out the people who don't or can't? Are you the one doing the home made pie and prepping spuds and veg, etc? Probably not.

We try our absolute best to feed and water our harvest gang (albeit casual) as and when we can but unfortunately it's just not always possible. We usually have a 'food fetcher' but quite often they're part of the team as well, including my O/H. Quite often it is just sausage and chips or a burger or a pizza and a crate of Thatchers. If the old girl pops up (doesn't live here any more) she will cook stuff in the day so all we have to do is reheat when we get home. The takeaway stuff so described as 'muck' is at least something to keep the worms at bay, if you don't want it, you can politely decline and not be so ungrateful.

Gone are the days where women are confined to the kitchen, nobody has outwardly said it but 4 pages here most of which suggest as such. We also don't have the summers 'like we used to' so when we do go, it is unfortunately a mad busy rush. I, myself tend not to eat much if at all during the day this time of year, bouncing around on a tractor for 12+hrs a day you don't really want a gut full of grub.

On the flipside I know exactly what it's like to not even be offered when they are stood there talking to you with a mug of coffee in hand. Most of which are good to at least offer, some really are awful and are almost marching you out the drive after you've thrown the last bale in. Some customers will go out and fetch pie and chips or sausage and chips and some cider or whatever, I know of 2 that still do the big cooked dinner but they are old school, couple of others make sandwiches out of probably 3 loaves on bread followed by 10 litres of tea!

Good post.

I remember my mother going way above and beyond with the ‘feeding of the men’ it was nonsense, she worked harder than any of them did.
 

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