Hop farm to cease production after two hot summers

The last commercial hop farm in Surrey has said it is ceasing production after a second hot and dry summer devastated its harvest.

The Hampton Estate, near Puttenham, said the lack of rain, on top of economic pressures, had made growing the crop unviable.

The head of farming at the site, James Windridge, said they harvested about 160 bales in 2024, dropping to about 50 in 2025, and 30 this year.

Bill Biddell, the estate's chief executive, said: "This year has been an absolute disaster, obviously because of the weather."

Windridge added: "The writing is definitely on the wall for it this year".

Hampton Estate has specialised in growing fuggles hops, an old variety first cultivated in the 19th Century, which flavours traditional cask ales.

Bill Biddell told BBC's Farming Today: "There are loads of people who have been involved with Hampton hops for a very long time…

"Everybody who lives in the village of Puttenham, where the hop gardens are, has grown up with hops."

He said shutting down production would be "an end of quite a big piece of history in this part of Surrey... quite a moment".

But he said: "What hops normally need is a lovely English maritime summer. A bit of hot, a bit of sun, a little bit of cold, a little bit of rain, a little bit more rain."

Bridgit Biddell, Hampton Estate's managing farm partner, first started picking hops when she was 17, almost 50 years ago.

"In the past there was a glimmer that there could be something, maybe we could encourage microbreweries to buy our very special fuggles hops, but in fact the price next year we have been quoted is lower than this year," she said.

"Unfortunately, with less people drinking real ale, and a world market that is still oversupplying [hops], it is hard to see how that is going to get better."

Bill Biddell said the change had to come.

"It is a sad moment, but at the same time you can't just sit there saying 'we must keep going' and bury our heads in the sand," he added.

"With a farm like this, an estate that has numerous income streams, we have to look at it and be professional about it.

"We are very lucky, we've got 26 acres (10.5 hectares) here. We can do something completely different with and we will find a way of making it work and keeping the land going."

Farming Today is broadcast at 05:45 every weekday morning on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

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