There are weekends away in splendid hotels with luxurious suites, fabulously styled wine bars with cosy vintage leather sofas in front of open roaring fires….and then there are those weekends away where time stands still and you end up questioning the very fabric of life and our ephemeral existence in this world.

Let me introduce you to the ‘Field House’, Elvis & Kresse’s humble lodge which is now available to rent.

The Basics:

• It’s a one bed cabin style lodge house with separate bathroom and open plan kitchen, lounge.
• It located on their farm in Kent.
• It is furnished with a lovely curated interior, see pics, and has all the essentials you need such as wine bottle opener, cafetiere, fresh towels and we were particularly lucky to be treated to some late summer locally salvaged cut flowers.
• It has lovely views over newly planted vines and enticing landscapes beyond.
• It’s close to nearby Faversham and Cantebury centres.
• Accessible by car, but once there, bike and foot are ideal.

I suppose what I’d like to write is why it’s worthy of writing about? I’ve been on fabulous weekend breaks but haven’t felt compelled to write about them. So why is the field house different?

It starts with the hosts. If you know who Elvis & Kresse are and what they do, you’ll know they’re a talented couple that have created a company which I believe to be world class. E&K have developed a business which once you know them, are hard to forget or ignore. They are the perfect, if there is such a thing, embodiment of a company which engenders a feeling that companies really can be a force for good. Not surprising as early adopters of B Corp.

Kresse was warm, welcoming and showed us around the newly built workshop, with a delight of curiously crafted bags in an array of rainbow colours from Burberry castoffs. What a cool place to work was my first thought, literally as it was 30 degrees outside but was surprisingly cool inside. “That would be because of the near half meter thick walls constructed from straw bales” Kresse replied.

We were shown to the ‘field house’ and it was fantastically curious! Open plan, cosy, yet surprisingly spacious and just a charming place to be for a couple of nights. “Oh and if you fancy a little walk around the vines, lookout for the plum trees” said Kresse…”you’ll have to be quick though as there aren’t many left”! Good tip…

Once we checked the kitchen was equipped with bottle opener, wine glasses and cafetiere, we were free to nestle and explore with the myriad of books that were invitingly placed on the shelf. The first book I navigated to was Ricardo Semler’s 'Maverick'. A book I first read 25 years ago and which left a huge impression on me then. I thumbed through the pages and reminded myself that it was a story about one persons vision to share the spoils of business with all those that contribute. An early example of employee owned co-operatives…

Sebastian Faulks, the Birdsong, Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics and Biophilia, 'The way of life' were a few others which caught my eye…

However, what really made it special for me, was not watching the 2 white doves, that just happened to kiss and cuddle on the pylon wires high above us, while sipping a morning fresh coffee…it was the way the field house was curated with reuse. Handles made from fire house, door stops from leather offcuts, lampshades from old coffee bags. Reuse ran throughout the entire farm, and it was a true delight to see people practicing what they preach. I was reminded that life doesn’t have to be complicated, that with a little thought, it can be inspiring, mindfully healthy and that we can all apply our creative reuse juices to our humble homes! 

    

We unpacked, found the local pub which was within walking distance, (Tip: you’ll need a torch for walk home) and promptly started to settle into a weekend and excitement and wonder.

Memorable for all the right reasons, a time and place to unwind from the many curve balls that life throws at us and oh my....no light pollution, "look Rach, we can actually see the stars"!

Thank you Elvis and Kresse for being fab hosts and for opening your home and life to us. We’ll miss the goats, the view and of course the plums!