Looks like Kate Humble thinks Drala Jong is such a good idea she is going to copy it (sort of!): www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-w​ales-south-east-wales-14330147. Nice to see support for rural skills from some imaginative councillors and a TV celeb! It is interesting to read the headline that Kate and her husband are looking to invest around £500,000 in the project – as that coincidentally is how much we are looking for to establish Drala Jong on a firm footing.

The local press have presented the idea as being like ‘Monmouthshire’s answer to River Cottage’. They appear to have missed the fact though that River Cottage has gone through some shaky times recently, including job losses. Whilst local, rural, green, organic matters are still fashionable, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are automatically sustainable on a financial front – even when there is a celebrity (be it Hugh Fernley Whittingstall, or Kate Humble) heading up the operation. It’s going to be interesting watching how how Kate Humble’s project develops over coming months. I certainly plan to pay a visit once the doors open and see what we can learn that can be applied back into Drala Jong – just as we did down at River Cottage HQ in Dorset.

BTW The Forest of Dean Review (yes, THE Forest of Dean Review) has their own article here:
http://www.forest-and-wye-today.co.uk/news.cfm?id=27942&headline=TV