Channel 5 viewers have been captivated by Amanda Owen‘s countryside life since Our Yorkshire Farm first aired on the channel. The popular show follows Amanda, her husband Clive and their nine children as they grow up on Ravenseat Farm. Amanda has never shied away from talking about challenges she’s faced with, and she recently revealed how her family had to clean their teeth in the river following a “big problem” on their farm.
As well as looking after her growing brood, Amanda tends to a flock of 1,000 sheep, 40 cows, six sheepdogs and four ponies on Ravenseat Farm.
The hillside farm is located in Upper Swaledale, North Yorkshire, and is about an hour’s walk west of a town called Keld.
Due to the farm’s remote location, Amanda and her family have to be as self-sufficient as possible throughout the year. However, this can prove difficult when things go wrong.
The 47-year-old has written books about her experiences as the Yorkshire Shepherdess which cover the highs and lows of countryside life.
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In her latest book, Celebrating the Seasons with the Yorkshire Shepherdess, Amanda detailed how her family and animals coped when they had a water shortage.
An extract from her book read: “We had another big problem – no running water in the farmhouse.
“I’ve got a weather station in the farmyard and could see that the temperature had dropped to -12C during the night.
“Our water system is piped down from a natural spring further up the moor and we worried that the water in the pipes would freeze.”
“Once the children were up, we relayed the bad news, knowing from a previous experience that this would be a pretty miserable period.”
She explained everything which normally involved water had to happen in the river.
“Buckets of water were carried to the house to flush the toilets and for the washing-up, but after breaking the ice beside the bridge we could all clean our teeth in the river,” Amanda revealed.
Amanda has also written about the important role her eldest child Raven plays in maintaining Ravenset Farm.
The Yorkshire Shepherdess admitted Raven is “relied on” heavily for work around the farm during periods she is home from university.
While all of Amanda’s children get stuck in to help, she explained: “When Raven is back home I rely on her massively.
“She knows what needs tackling, and gets stuck in, whether it is dealing with the horses in the field, getting the little ones bathed, or whipping up a batch of bread.”
Our Yorkshire Farm episodes are now available on My5 and Celebrating the Seasons with the Yorkshire Shepherdess is available to buy in bookstores and online.
Published at Thu, 03 Feb 2022 11:59:55 +0000
Our Yorkshire Farm star Amanda Owen opens up on ‘big problem’ at Ravenseat
