10:30am
Room 2, Foyer upper floor
Rosemary and Dan Champion became smallholders in 2000, when they impulse bought “two semi-derelict farm cottages with paddock”. In establishing their micro-holding of less than an acre, they grew vegetables and fruit, kept a few hens, raised two pigs a year and had just started keeping Coloured Ryeland sheep when a series of events lead them to purchasing “a small estate in Angus” in 2010. Twelve acres, in fact. That led to more of everything and the addition of their beloved herd of Rosedean Shetland cattle.
Their smallholding life has been shared on their website “The Accidental Smallholder”, which has been around since 2003, starting life as the UK’s first popular blog about smallholding, and becoming the most popular smallholding forum online.
In 2011, Rosemary and Dan were instrumental in the founding of the Scottish Smallholder Festival, with Rosemary retiring after the 2024 event. So they return to the 2025 Festival for the first time as visitors and speakers to share their experiences and a look to the future.
The Accidental Smallholder
Rosemary and Dan Champion
Rosemary & Dan Champion are smallholders in Angus. Over 25 years, they have bred Shetland cattle, Coloured Ryeland sheep, kept pigs and poultry and grown fruit and vegetables. They are the Accidental Smallholders.