Eat the Peak

From the Field to the Fork

 

How We Ate the Peak District

 
People have been eating the Peak District for thousands of years!
 
cows grazing at duskcows grazing at dusk  sheep grazing on moorlandsheep grazing on moorland  a cow grazinga cow grazing
 
Farming created the moorlands of the Dark Peak and the walled fields of the White Peak.  From prehistory to today generations of farmers have grown oats, reared sheep and cattle, and produced milk, cheese and honey.
 
Discover how farming helped craft the Peak District landscape we know today. Look out for traditional working farms and signs of historic and prehistoric farming.
 
The links on the right include farm guest houses where you can explore traditional farming and meet farm animals.  There are places to eat and shop, where you can savour the distinctive local foods of the Peak District.  From locally reared beef and lamb to traditional cheeses and oatcakes, you too can eat the Peak District.  When you enjoy local foods, you are helping to care for this beautiful landscape formed by thousands of years of farming.
 
people enjoying a coffee and cake from a great viewpointpeople enjoying a coffee and cake from a great viewpoint  a butcher with prozed sausagesa butcher with prozed sausages
 
Geology first shaped the Peak District hills, valleys and soils. Wild habitats are created by climate and topography. But it is farming that has most altered the surface of the landscape.
 
Use the links to explore the farming landscape and discover how we ate the Peak District alive!
 
Written: Bill Bevan
Research: Melissa Peet
Photography: Bill Bevan & Ray Manley (PDNPA)