CELEBRITY farmer Adam Henson has shared his tips for growing a rural business during a visit to Scottish farm deli and café, Craigie’s, near South Queensferry.

Mr Henson, who alongside his business partner Duncan Andrews built their tenanted farm in the Cotswolds into a successful visitor attraction, delivered a talk to 21 agriculture professionals including land agents, valuers, solicitors and accountants from across Scotland, at the Bank of Scotland hosted event.

He was joined on the day by David Allwright from the Bank’s CB Markets division, who offered insight into current financial market conditions, including the tight labour market and signs of rising wage pressures. As well as providing a venue for the event, farmer and owner of Craigie’s, John Sinclair, also took part in discussions, and talked through his plans to grow the business.

Mr Sinclair said: “It was really useful talking through the plans we have for Craigie’s today with Adam, whose business is very similar to ours. We are lucky to have a loyal customer base that returns time and time again and it’s because of this we want to develop our offering. I have and will continue to work closely with the

Bank of Scotland team and other advisers to give us the best possible chance of making our plans a success.”

Bank of Scotland agriculture relationship manager, Gavin Hay, said: “During times of economic uncertainty, it’s important that farming businesses have advisers on-hand to guide and support them. As trusted financial partners, we can help agricultural businesses like John’s prosper by ensuring they have the best insight, the right guidance and, of course, the working capital to pursue their growth plans.”

Mr Henson said: “Despite many aspects of farming remaining unchanged over the years, we can’t say the same about the economic and political landscape in which we operate. This is why it’s important for those who own and run farming businesses to always look at how they can grow, and work with advisers to help make the process a success.”