Meet your hosts
Meet Ed and Vicky
On the hunt for a place where they could build a self-sufficient home and business, Ed and Vicky stumbled upon a derelict cow shed with land and an incredible view. Leaving London and undertaking the conversion project themselves, their journey was featured on Grand Designs in 2015, and Mello View was born. Built by Ed's own hands and made of cob and reclaimed materials, it is now their off-grid homestead, providing them with space to run their catering and supper club business, as well as a Pilates studio for Vicky's classes and retreats. They rear their own livestock on the land and grow vegetables and herbs to go into the menus they create as part of their business. With a young son and another baby on the way, Ed and Vicky have truly made Mello View their home.
Wildlife & environment
The Gardener's Shed is surrounded by wildlife. In addition to the Farm's livestock, the property is home to deer, woodpeckers, barn owls, bats and a wide variety of songbirds and birds of prey. The pond attracts dragonflies, newts and frogs. Because Ed and Vicky maintain Mello View using organic methods, the wildlife is abundant and carefully conserved. There is an ancient hedgerow just behind the Gardener's Shed, which makes for seasonal foraging, and wild mushrooms crop up in the pastures. In the views across the valley, you can often spot buzzards and kestrels hunting in the landscape.