Meet the Wag - Kate Simpson Fine Art

We have a very special meet the Wag this month, the incredibly talented Kate Simpson of Kate Simpson Fine Art. 

Following one of her recent Christmas Open Day weekends, Kate very kindly invited me to her beautiful Northumbrian cottage, to talk drawing inspirations and life on the farm.

So on a lovely crisp frosty Northumbrian morning, I arrive at Kate and boyfriend Jack’s cottage and receive a very warm welcome from Kate and of course Ralph, Kate’s charming Corgi dog and inspiration for Kate'a childrens book 'Ralph to the Rescue'.

We sit down to enjoy a lovely cup of tea in front of the roaring fire and are surrounded by an abundance of Kate’s stunning artworks and home wares still on show from the Open Day.

After plenty of fuss for Ralph we sit down to chat.

Please introduce yourself and Kate Simpson Fine Art:  I’m Kate Simpson, I’m an artist and started working on commission prints at 16 and selling my original work prints at 18, I’ve always been creative, never really academic, and so just stared this all on a whim to make some money while I was still at school and so I started doing commission work for people.

So is it your mum and dad's farm:

No actually, I’m not from a farming background, my mums a teacher and my dad owns an advertising business in town (Newcastle), so this is all just brand-spanking new to me. I was in pony club and one of my best friends asked me to go to a farmers ball and that’s how I joined young farmers (Northumberland YFC), and like any good farming love story, that’s where I met Jack about 6 and half years ago, and so I just delved into the world of farming and so basically I draw what I see everyday, I like it to have a story and some sort of background, so living on the farm, especially with animals, you do just see collies on the quad, pheasants roaming around and we even have an owl that hunts outside, which inspired my Huntress artwork.

Do you draw from Memory or photos?

Well more or less at lot of it is photographs and planning out the idea, the image of the collie on the gator, was actually a combination of 3 photographs stuck together, I’m very lucky that I’m in touch with people who farm cattle or sheep and I’ll see a photograph that I love and so I’ll contact them to say can I use your photo and a lot of them say yes, which is great because it brings the connection as I can say this is so and so’s cattle, which is really important to breeders, potential clients and customers.

Ah yes, your Herefords are from the Moralees heard aren’t they?

Yes that’s right, it’s always quite nice to know the background of my subjects as a lot of breeders, especially men, like to asked questions so I know I can’t get caught out on anything if they’re asking!

And has it always been animals that you’ve drawn?

Yes, it’s always been animals, I have drawn people before, but I find I can be a bit more creative with animals, I have a bit more creative license with them, as with people you have to get it spot on, and I think once you realise what your market is and what you love to draw you can start to develop your own style, there are a lot of artists that do stags really well and a lot of artists that do horses or people really well and I feel like I do my livestock really well (the thing I love about your work is that your perspective is always so spot on), yeah, thank you, that’s what I like and I want to get it spot on and I want it to be right and I get annoyed if it isn't!

And how long would it take you to do a piece, say the Moralees?

So, the Moralee would take about 2 weeks to do, and that tends to be from whatever time in the morning to whatever time at night, I tend to focus on one drawing at a time and will continue on that piece until it’s finished, it is my full time job so I try to treat it like that and put in at least 40 hours a week.

The Hotstepper - Kate Simpson Fine Art

And do you do lots of sketching first or just dive straight in?

I like to go out and take photographs, so I don’t do a lot of sketching, with me I’ve already got it in my head, I know exactly what it is I want, it’s tunnel vision, my dad’s got it as well with his business, it’s just a tunnel vision of I know what’s going on the paper I want to get it down. (now I am the complete opposite, my ideas are going in all directions!) sometimes it does take me a day or two to get the idea but once it’s there I just don’t stop.

Wow that’s amazing, I need some of that, can you share a bit out… lol

Well I can’t do anything else but when it comes to drawing, I’m fine!

You mentioned Jack is your farmer and you met at young farmers so tell us about the farm: 

We are beef and arable, we did have some sheep, but we sold them (I think they were too much of a pain!), so yes we are beef and arable, again I’m not from a farming background, so I was literally put on a tractor for the first time 6 years ago, he told me briefly how to drive it and then I was told to go off and lead bales (this all sounds very familiar i'm sure ladies!) and that was it! So I kind of just got thrown into it, I didn’t really understand it, my dads self employed and has his own business so I knew about hard work but I didn’t realise the life that it is and obviously I just stepped into and have just gone yeah, I’ll take it, I’ve done my lambing, I’ve got my lambing licence and my calf feeding license now! (..ah so you’re a proper farmers wife now then).

Jack stores cattle and goes to Carlisle to buy calves in and they’ll be here for about 24 months and then they go off.

On our second date, Jack couldn’t make it because he had to go ploughing and I couldn’t get my head around it, I wasn’t annoyed I just was like, ok fine – and that’s basically how it's gone for the rest of the relationship!

You have built a very successful business in such a short space of time and at a young age, what are your plans for the future?   

Well obviously I released a children’s book featuring Ralph this year and now I’ve just go the go ahead for more books, which is amazing, he is such a character and that’s what I’ve always wanted to do, my life goal was to have a studio, which I did when I moved in here and to have a children’s book and I’ve done that before I’m 30, so I am just so pleased it’s been so much bigger than anything I thought it could be, so the next step is to try and push that a bit more and have a bit more fun with that. The book is full of traditional drawings but I can be as creative as I like and that’s what I love, I will probably still do originals and probably still do drawings and commission work but that (publishing) is very much the focus now.

And we have got some more things in the works with Ralph, but I can’t say too much at the moment and with Christmas coming up I’ve had to put that on hold as this is my busy time and so I can focus again on it all in January.

So do you have a publisher:  No I have published it myself, as we know I love a bit of a project and it’s so hard to get into the industry if you don’t know anyone and so my dad sat me down and said you know you’ve done everything else yourself so why do you think you need someone to help you with this? and I just took that on board and said I kind of get that and if you can do it yourself then why not, and you have so much more fun doing it yourself even if it is a bit more stressful, but it’s things like I get to meet people like yourself and people what to come and see me and meet Ralph and that’s what I want, I like it to have that personal touch because that’s how I started from the support of everyone else and that’s what I want to keep going.

The achievement must be amazing, because you know you’ve done it yourself?  It’s just incredible, but I can’t do it without the support of people, customers and clients and people who keep coming back, which I just love.

Well we have started our collection and there will definitely be more soon, in fact I’ve mentioned to friends I was coming to interview you today and so many of our friends have said, 'we have one of her prints!' 

Ah that’s great, well people will call up and ask if I’m doing a show and that’s just starting to happen this year and I’m looking back 4/5 years ago from when I started to now and people are saying its not really luck, you’ve worked really hard and look at where you are and you still continue to grow. I always believe if you can work at it and keep going you’ll succeed, at the end of the day, it is my job but it doesn’t feel like a job because I just absolutely love it and it’s my passion and if I keep working as hard as I can I can just keep going.

Give us an overview of your products and prices? 

I start prices at £2 for greetings cards, or a pack of cards for £10, I have my book, ‘Ralph to the Rescue’ at £10 and you get a little stamped paw print from Ralph just to approve the book, I also have ceramic mugs, which are called the everyday mug, so when the farmer takes it into the farm and brings it back two weeks later, it can come back and still be as good as new and then I have my prints which range from £20 to £200, commission work and bespoke projects which start at around £195 and then of course my original pieces which is really an added extra, so it’s great if they sell but if they don’t I’m not that fussed as I get to keep them.

Time for Tea - Kate Simpson Fine Art

Are you planning to attend any of the large country shows for 2020?

Yes, I’m looking into doing the Highland Show, I recently did the AgriExpo at Carlise, and I loved that, it was great and really good fun and I’m really starting to understand who my market are, which is always a good thing. So I’ll probably attend the highland, possibly the Great Yorkshire and I’m thinking the DairyExpo, which is happening in March, so should be the first show of the year and hopefully then the Valais Show in Carlise. I think I’m also doing the International Sheep Dog Trials, held here at Castle Howard in September.

Now onto a more serious note, with the increase in veganism and plant based diets recently and the push back from the general public on farming practices and the rural way of life, have you received any negativity of your work?  

I actually have, I’ve done a couple of dairy drawings and I have had a lot of negative comments on my social media, and so you just get to a stage where you say come on, it’s a lifestyle choice, it's not anything other than that.

I think some people are now so far removed from the real world (of food poduction) and really it’s all down to education and it's down to choice and I don’t understand why you need to pressure people, I don’t pressure them to not be a vegan, so why is it ok for them to try to pressure me.

I think it’s just the norm now in the farming communities that their lifestyle and industry isn’t accepted but they just get on with their jobs and like all farmers Jack complains about prices and not being able to drill and all the other problems farming faces, but they just get on with it.

I feel we are very lucky we have lamb from here from this year and hopefully we’ll have a beast for the freezer and so we know exactly where it has come from and so we are very lucky, I just feel there needs to be a lot more education on it.

My mum used to take pet lambs into school and show what they sleep on and what they eat and the children loved it and unfortunately now they have to try and make everyone happy and of course I’m not saying there shouldn’t be vegans, I just think they need to work with farmers to understand where their food comes from and we all need to start making sure we are environmentally friendly, I’ve started to ensure my packaging is compostable, which is such a little thing but makes a difference and I try to buy local (which can be hard) but it’s those little bits that I’m doing that make a little bit of difference.

A few shots from Kate's open day, of course featuring Ralph.

And do you take part in game shoots at all or go clay shooting?

No I don’t really, Jack does go and I have been beating and stuff but I always think I could be doing some work and it’s always at my busy time of year, it's almost like my harvest, so I can’t be spending days out when I could be her working.

Now most importantly, how’s Ralph?

Ah he’s fine, he loved being the centre of attention at the open days, although I think he’s almost got an open day hangover from all the attention so he’s now just relaxing after a busy weekend (at this point Ralph was laid flat-out fast asleep at Kate’s feet soaking up the sunshine through he window).

We notice he has very much become the star of the show and you have alluded to more Ralph inspired products to come, can you tell us more?

Well I can’t say too much at the moment but I have plans for next year, especially Christmas but I can tell you I’m working on the second Ralph book at the moment, which should be due to be published early next year (date???).

Thank you Kate, it was an absolute pleasure to meet you (and Ralph) wishing you continued success and I look forward to my ever growing collection of Kate Simpson Fine Art!

You can find Kate's work at www.katesimpsonart.uk or on facebook and Instagram @katesimpsonfineart

Meet The Wag- February 2019

Leah – Fitness at the Farm:

For our February issue of Meet the Wag, I am very pleased to introduce Leah Maclean of Fitness at the Farm fame.. Read on to find out what motivated this hard-working young woman to build her own fitness business… 

Welcome Leah, we are all intrigued to know what inspired you to start your own fitness business?

It sort of happened accidentally! In 2015, I decided I wanted a change of career and had always been passionate about food and fitness. So, I applied to do an MSc at the University of Bristol in Nutrition, Physical Activity & Public Health. I did this part-time whilst still working in marketing and then finally quit my job in order to complete my dissertation and graduate. After that I started looking for roles in Public Health but didn’t like the idea of commuting from Oxfordshire to London where most of the best roles were based. Instead I started working one-to-one with a few private clients, teaching them how to cook from scratch and developing their nutritional understanding.

A few friends had mentioned that I’d make a good Personal Trainer, so I thought that I should at least get my qualification as it would go hand-in-hand with the nutrition and health side of things.

I completed that in mid-December 2017 and took a break over Christmas to work out a plan. I took on a few PT clients and would go to their homes for sessions. But, as I had been using the farm that I live on as my own personal training ground for years, I thought it might be nice to start bringing clients here and working out in the fields.

By the end of January I had hosted my first Saturday morning group fitness class. About 7 people came along and had a really great workout, using the bits and pieces of equipment, logs, rocks and tyres that I had scavenged from the farm. I carried on hosting Saturday classes until the evenings got lighter and then grew the timetable alongside demand.

You've been up and running (excuse the pun) for a while now so how does Fitness at the Farm work?

Since starting with just one class a week last January, I have grown to 5 group classes per week, 1 private group session for a business nearby and do all of my personal training here.

I like to keep things really flexible for my clients, so I don’t run like a normal gym. Clients can book all the classes online and pay as they go. There are no contracts or joining fees etc. You can just come as and when you want to. To make it a bit more economical for my regulars you also have the option to buy 10 class credits at once for a reduced cost, or to pay a monthly direct debit which makes you a member and gives you unlimited classes as well as a few other benefits.  

Do you have any plans to expand at all?

Yes! Lots of plans! :D

I got planning permission to erect a beautiful Tipi in November 2018 in order to provide some shelter for those days where training outside becomes too miserable. Once the Tipi was up I realised it’s potential for so much more than just shelter. So, I have built my Tipi Kitchen (made up of a wood fire oven, a gas hob and that’s about it) where I will begin cookery classes this April.

As well as monthly cookery classes, I will be hosting corporate away days for groups of up to 20 people. The groups will take part in activities such as farm scavenger hunts, team obstacle challenges, nutrition talks, cookery demos, fitness classes, running classes, yoga and meditation…basically a day out of the office that you will actually enjoy and learn from rather than those awful team building days I remember having to go on :D

I will also host a few day retreats this year, with current plans to have one dedicated to Yoga, another to Running and another which will be for “Tough Mudder” type training. Once I have dates organised I will start promoting them and anyone can book on and spend the whole day At The Farm.

We hear you have just returned from a glamorous and I'm sure well deserved holiday to Sri Lanka, do you have any plans to go-global and turn Fitness at the Farm to Fitness on the Beach?

Haha, it was a gorgeous holiday…but probably not so glamorous. I went with my husband and 2 friends and we spent two weeks travelling around the country with our backpacks. It was a brilliant break! I think Fitness on the Beach would be a great idea, with some sea side cooking thrown in too! I’m keeping things local for now …but give it a few years to see how my business model fairs out and we may be seeing some expansion :D.

Tell us a little about your farm and of course how you met your husband?

The farm is perfection. It is a small tree farm in South Oxfordshire owned by my father-in-law. He grows trees for hedging as well as some crops like sweetcorn and asparagus. His business is winding down though so he is keen for the farm to be put to good use. We have lots of gorgeous open fields with the only farm traffic being my father-in-law pottering around on his vintage tractor.

I actually met my husband Andy right here on the farm in 2008. He was living in the house we live in now, with his best mate who, at the time, was the boyfriend of one of my best friends. She threw her 21^st birthday here and I came for that. Andy didn’t take after his father and become a farmer. He is a tree surgeon and had just started his own business when I met him. He strolled in to his own kitchen, late for the party, wearing dirty overalls from where he’d been fixing a vehicle and saw me chugging wine in the kitchen. We both got on really well and had a bit of a snog in some dingy club in Oxford later that night.

After that, he started coming down to Exeter (where I was at university) to see me and I would come up and see him here. When I graduated the following year I moved straight in! We got married in 2015, just before I started my MSc.

Do you have any words of wisdom or inspiration for us.. hum hum not so fit ladies!  
I like to think that I approach fitness and nutrition a little bit differently to other set ups. I don’t talk to my clients about weight loss…ever! I think it is so damaging how we have all been conditioned to think that our weight reflects our health. When really, our health is determined by the amount we move, the stress in our lives, the relationships we have, the nutritional value of our food, the amount of sleep we get, whether we smoke or drink, as well as a load of socio-economic factors. Yet, everyone is convinced that “fat” is the enemy and being thin is the key to health. I know that when I’ve been at my thinnest in life, I’ve also been at my most unhealthy.

So, I try to educate my clients more about what determines their health. I try to get them to really enjoy food and not see it as the enemy. Food is not good or bad, you don’t ever need to cut out food groups (unless you have allergies or it is for an ethical or religious reason) and you don’t need to track calories in vs calories out. The kind of restrictive diets you see everywhere from Keto to Whole30 are so bad for your mental health. They aren’t sustainable and will often lead to bouts of binge eating, feelings of guilt and shame and cause your weight to cycle which is very detrimental to health.

I try to help my clients develop a healthy relationship with food and exercise. Exercise should be fun! It shouldn’t be a punishment or a way to earn your food. It definitely shouldn’t be used as a tool to transform your body, because… where is the end point with that? That thought process will inevitably lead to feelings of body dissatisfaction. We just to make sure that we do a bit of exercise every day, whether that is gardening, walking the dog, a gentle swim…or an intense spin class or HIIT session. And, if we enjoy that exercise we are more likely to sustain it.

Well thank you Leah, it has been fantastic to hear all about your inspiring business and approach to health and fitness... you may have just given me the kick-up-the bum I need to finally get my lazy bottom back to the gym.. or maybe I’ll just go grab a tractor tyre and see what happens!!

You can find out more about Leah and Fitness at the Farm on the website Fitness at the Farm on Facebook and on Instagram.

Until next time…

Clare x 

AgriWags Founder

Meet the Wag.. 

Michelle Roworth - Rosedale House Floral Designs

We are very pleased to announce the return of our monthly feature; Meet The Wag and our January edition features Michelle Roworth, a farmer’s daughter, wife and owner of Rosedale House Floral Designs in Horncastle, Lincolnshire.

Hello Michelle, thank you for agreeing to speak with us, tell us a little about your farming life and how you met your farmer?

I love the farming way of life and to be fair I do not know any different. I grew up on a mixed arable and livestock farm on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors. A family run business that my siblings and I were lucky enough to be part of. We were always helping out on the farm, moving sheep to new pastures, turning the cattle out in the spring and leading corn in the summer. So many happy memories! 

I met Henry, my “Farmer” first at a wedding in 2007, that summer we met again at a number of other social gatherings. Each time we met, we chatted, danced and laughed a lot. Eventually we exchanged numbers and started dating. 

My farming experience and tractor driving skills have stood me in good stead for a life married to Mr Roworth. In my spare time I can often be found sharing Henry’s love of tractors. I regularly drive for Henry, helping change wheels and make sure that the lads are fed during long working days. 

Henry and I both run our own businesses. Roworth Ltd. an agricultural contracting business, based in Lincolnshire, we provide a range of arable services throughout the East Midlands and Yorkshire. Henry is often away from home working in Norfolk, Shropshire, Lancashire and Scotland. In the mean time I have no time to be bored, I set up Rosedale House Floral Designs in 2016 when I decided to take a break from teaching. I have always said “If not a PE teacher then I will be a florist.”

My artistic flare and passion for learning has enabled my florist business to grow. I have returned to teaching and I am enjoying being able to do both. 

I have been fortunate enough to work on some of the most fabulous weddings and corporate events across Lincolnshire. Our bespoke style enables us to create personal floral designs for our bridal parties, churches and venues. I love being a florist, working with clients to understand the style and image that they want to create - whatever the event. I like to be out and about and onsite creating oversized designs to scene set any venue. I am lucky to have a fabulous team with different strengths which enables us to achieve all that we have, with 46 weddings in our second year of business. 

When I am not working in the shop, teaching or helping Henry I like to play Netball, walk our handsome chocolate Labrador - Hesston and catch up with family and friends. 

My New Years resolution for 2019 is to go “home - home” more regularly and spend time with friends that make time for me.

Thank you Michelle, it has been great getting to know you a little better, we wish you all the very best with Rosedale House Floral Designs and Roworth Ltd. and look forward to seeing your businesses grow even further over the coming years.

Best Wishes 
Clare x
AgriWags Founder


If you have an upcoming floral requirement and would like to speak with Michelle or her team, you can email rosedalehousefloral@outlook.com or call; 01507 239068

The Brand New Farmers Wife 

Well after a rather unexpected and extended break from the blog.. I'm back.. And I'm now officially a W.. Not a G! ..that's right ladies, he's made an honest women of me and I'm now a farmers wife! 

We celebrated in epic style with our family and friends and of course at the farm. After weeks of stress with making jam, hand stamping favours, decorating part of the cake, oh yes and replacing the entire fence around half an acre of garden and building a bridge (yes 4 days before the wedding) plus all the other ridiculous things you put yourself through for a that big day, we had a glorious weekend and I think the two tonne bags of empty bottles gives you an idea of the extent of the celebrations. 

Now in hindsight it wasn't the smartest idea starting a new job three weeks before getting married but actually focusing on not dropping a b*****k at work has been a great distraction especially for the post wedding blues!

And of course I'm sure we all know the restrictions of the farming calendar and so with harvest looming there was no chance of a honeymoon before harvest but this does mean I  ...of course I mean 'we' can now plan the big escape in a few months time :)

I do hope you'll still enjoy my little ramblings and now I no longer need to be looking at ribbon, bunting, flowers and generally anything that's pretty and sparkles I can once again focus on you lovely lot and hopefully keep you entertained.

Keep smiling folks, lots of love

The brand new Mrs. Hall xx

Hibernation; Spring is in the Air

Well after an unexpected break from the blog and and even more unexpected move up North; ok not quite but Buckinghamshire is definitely north of Kent! We are now settled at a new farm and enjoying life away from the M25!

To be honest it feels as though AgriWAG’s has been in hibernation and having no internet, broadband, Wi-Fi and an iPhone that only works whilst at the front window, standing on one leg with your arm in the air... it has been a pretty testing time for the online forum!

But we are now all ready for Spring, the days are getting longer, the farmer is itching to get started on the spring crops and we have lots of ideas for content.

So welcome to our followers, new and old, the farmer is now managing a lovely farming estate (with triple the acreage) and we are on the countdown to the wedding of the year, ok well OUR wedding of the year, yes this year he will actually make me an official AgriWIFE!

Purdey the farm pup has now settled in to his new surroundings and has decided his new favourite hobby is chasing Chinese water deer (…this was not in his training!) and eyeballing pheasants through the fence into the paddock!

I do hope AgriWAG’s continues to entertain and if you’d have any ideas of content you’d like to see or maybe have an article you’d like to feature please do contact us, and of course with lambing season now underway, we'd love to see your photos too.

Best wishes

Clare, the farmer and Purdey Pup x