A reflection from The Pantry – by Kismet Cabana
This year’s Jersey Farming Conference gave us something powerful: clarity. Clarity about where the island’s food system is heading, clarity about the challenges ahead, and clarity about the opportunities rising in front of us.
And as The Pantry takes its first steps into this new chapter at La Haule, we left the conference feeling hopeful and reassured that we’re moving in the same direction as the island’s farmers, food thinkers, growers, policymakers and regenerative leaders.
This is not a technical recap of every session. It’s a reflection – a thoughtful gathering of the messages that resonated most with us, and how they align with our own guiding philosophy:
Soil to Soul.
Because the journey of food isn’t just field to fork – it’s the deeper story of how the land nourishes us, and how we nourish the land in return.
Throughout this article we reference the publicly available footage on Farm Jersey’s YouTube channel, for anyone who’d like to explore the talks further.
Charles Le Maistre – National Trust for Jersey
Charles Le Maistre delivered one of the conference’s most striking messages.
He shared that:
It was a moment that landed with weight.
We talk a lot about food security, sustainability, biodiversity, culture and landscape – but behind all of that is people. Real people with real skills who grow, nurture, harvest, safeguard and care for the land.
The decline doesn’t just reflect changing careers.
It reflects a disconnect between the island and its own food story.
At The Pantry, this reinforced our commitment to anchoring global flavour in local soil – celebrating the land and the people who look after it. Our role is not to replace farmers; it’s to stand alongside them. To champion them. To help create pathways that keep Jersey food local, valued, and viable.
Cover Crops & Ecological Impact Presentation
One of the most inspiring sessions explored Jersey’s ongoing cover crop trials — a quietly revolutionary initiative.
The findings showed:
The takeaway was simple and hopeful:
When we work with nature, nature works with us.
For The Pantry, this was a validation of something we’ve always believed:
Healthy soil produces healthier food, healthier ecosystems and healthier communities.
This is Soil to Soul in its purest form – and it’s happening right here, on island.
India Hamilton – Regen Prize Reflections
India Hamilton’s contribution felt like a turning point – a reminder that regeneration isn’t just about soil science or yield data; it’s about culture, imagination and collaboration.
She spoke about the Regen Awards not as a competition, but as a celebration of:
Her emphasis was clear:
Regeneration is a cultural shift – not a checklist.
It’s about rethinking how we produce, buy, cook, value and talk about food.
It’s about unlearning the idea that “cheap and imported” is the default.
It’s about celebrating flavour, traceability, craft, biodiversity and resilience.
Hearing India speak – and hearing The Pantry mentioned as part of this emerging regenerative ecosystem -was deeply meaningful. It reminded us that this chapter at La Haule is not just a business move; it’s a contribution to a bigger story.
Dr Steven Webster – UK–EU SPS Agreement Overview
Dr Steven Webster delivered one of the most technical sessions of the day – but also one of the most important.
As Jersey navigates new UK–EU SPS agreements, the island’s ability to import, export and certify food is going to shift. This will affect:
The message wasn’t alarmist. It was pragmatic:
The more Jersey can feed itself, the more resilient we become.
For The Pantry, this wasn’t new – but it was clarifying.
Local-first isn’t just a moral choice. It’s a structural, strategic one.
Reference: Rural Economy Team – Funding & Future Direction
Several presentations highlighted the increasing support available for regenerative projects, small growers, tech-enabled solutions, energy efficiency, experimentation and productivity improvements.
Key points:
For small, values-driven businesses – including The Pantry – this is encouraging. The door is open for meaningful, measurable change.
Across all sessions ran a common thread:
The future of food in Jersey depends on collaboration.
Not occasional meetings.
Not one-off partnerships.
But everyday cooperation between:
The Pantry sits in a unique position within this ecosystem.
We can:
This is not field to fork.
It is Soil to Soul – and it requires all of us.
As we start this new chapter at La Haule, the conference gave us the confidence that we’re building something aligned with the island’s future direction.
We’re not here to compete.
We’re here to contribute.
To collaborate.
To celebrate.
To connect land, kitchen and community.
To help shift habits and narratives.
To honour the farmers who feed us.
To nurture resilience.
To create flavourful, accessible, local-first food that begins in Jersey soil and ends in Jersey homes.
The island is ready.
The appetite is growing.
And together, we can build a food system led by care, imagination and regeneration.
From Soil to Soul – this is just the beginning.
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