The Farmers Mart Apr-May 2018 - Issue 56 | Page 32

32 PRIORY FARM APR/MAY 2018 • farmers-mart.co.uk 71801 - RiponFarmServices - 8TH.pdf 1 29/03/2018 11:20:08 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Proud suppliers to David Rawlings at Priory Farm 71919 - Walter Dawson & Sons - QUTR.pdf 1 05/04/2018 14:04:54 1 Valley Court, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD1 4SP Tel: [phone] E-mail: [email protected] www.walterdawson.co.uk .walte d .uk C M Y CM Accounting ccounting a and tax solutions ta solutio s for agriculture MY CY CMY K Proud to be associated with David Rawlings of Priory Farm 71858 - RichardBurniston&Son - 8TH.pdf 1 04/04/2018 15:20:34 C RICHARD BURNISTON & SON AGRICULTURAL CONTRACTORS & ENGINEERS M Y CM MY CY CMY ROUND & SQUARE BALING & WRAPPING UGAR BEET DRILLING • STUBBLE TO STUBBLE 6 ROW HOLMER TANKER BEET HARVESTER DEUTZ FAHR TRACTORS & TELEHANDLERS McHALE ROUND BALERS & WRAPPERS Proud to be working with David Rawlings K Tel: [phone] or 01904 738 245 For contracting enquiries please contact Edward on 07719 788 683 Vodka and Weddings provide cheers for former nunnery Chris Berry talks with David Rawlings at Syningthwaite, near Wetherby. BEER, wine, gin and now vodka have driven farmers to drink in recent years as they have sought to find new income from either crops grown on farm; or have been able to utilise existing farm buildings to start breweries, win- eries and distilleries. Producing alcohol has become particularly popular in Yorkshire and the latest entrant is David Rawlings of Priory Farm, Syningthwaite near Wetherby with his potato vodka bottled and now sold as Priory Vodka. This is not David’s first move into diversi- fying his largely arable-based 500-acre farm and it’s unlikely to be his last. Currently Priory Farm is home to a prestigious wedding venue and seven cottages supplying wedding, holi- day and corporate business accommodation. He also has business units utilising former farm buildings and a glamping site is under consideration. David talks of his potato vodka coming about via a series of coincidences. ‘We’re hoping to make vodka the new gin, which as everyone knows has just gone wild in the past few years. We are experimenting with new flavours too. We want vodka to find its new identity and feel our potato vodka should do well as a bespoke product. We were fortunate enough to pick up two Gold Awards in the International Spirit Masters before we had even put it on general sale. That was really encouraging, and we are ready to get out amongst the food festi- vals and summer shows this year.’ ‘We grow around 60 acres of potatoes but only one acre of them is needed for our potato vodka presently. We’re producing around 200 bottles per week now. Vodka doesn’t require maturation, so we can go from potatoes to bottles of vodka in our distillery in 10 days. We mash for a day and fermentation takes a week.’