Perennial Protein: How UK Nut Farming Is Healing Land And Communities

Resource explained

Recording of an Oxford Real Farming Conference 2026 session exploring how perennial protein from nut farming can heal the land, bring communities together, and improve health outcomes, along with what the market looks like going forward. Chaired by Elsa Kent with Andrew Kent from Glastonbury Nut Farm, Nuffield Scholar Tom McVeigh provides the practical know-how, Josiah Meldrum brings the marketing perspective from Hodmedods, and nutritionist Lucy Williamson talks about the health benefits of nuts.

Findings & recommendations

Andrew Kent

• Inspired by Martin Crawford, he chose hazelnuts for UK climate suitability, planting 25 acres of hazelnuts and 200 walnuts in 2019.
• He uses agroforestry/alley cropping: oats, wheat, beetroot, and potatoes between trees.
• He sees perennial systems as being ecologically aligned, lower input, and long-term investment. There are slow returns but strong soil health, biodiversity, and community benefits.

Tom McVeigh

• Cereal farming is financially fragile without subsidies. Hazelnuts are a high-value, storable, perennial crop, with commodity-style market access.
• Climate change is reducing hazelnut yields in other countries (due to chill hours, pollination, pests). The UK is well-suited climatically for growing hazelnuts, and has strong future production potential. Nuts offer profitable tree-crop basis for diversified agroforestry.

Lucy Williamson

• Nuts address the UK metabolic health crisis, being high in fibre, healthy fats, magnesium, selenium, and antioxidants.
• Nuts are a good plant-based protein source. ~30g/day nut intake supports heart and vascular health.
• Perennial protein supports both human and planetary health.

Josiah Meldrum

• As with pulses, developing good routes-to-market, storytelling and chef engagement is critical.
• Infrastructure and consumer education is needed for long-term crops.
• There is a strong latent demand and premium potential for UK-grown nuts.

Browse other ORFC 2026 session recordings

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