There can be few fish farms anywhere on planet earth that are as pretty as the one nestled away in the village of Bibury. The farm, which opened in 1902, supplies some of the biggest fisheries in the UK with brown and rainbow trout. Kate Marriott, who took over ownership of the farm in 2001, is anticipating another busy summer season. “We’re open all year round but as soon as Easter comes things start getting a whole lot busier for us, which is great,” said Kate.

The farm has a number of ponds and tanks which hold fish ranging from newborn fry to ones weighing up to five or six pounds. Continued Kate: “Our main income comes from selling our trout to fisheries and reservoirs. Angling is such a popular sport in the UK, fortunately for us there will always be a demand for both brown and rainbow trout. We supply to fisheries all over the country. Sometimes we’ll be sending out a relatively small amount – maybe 50 fish – and on other occasions we’ll be supplying a major fishery with thousands of trout. We take enormous care to ensure the fish we produce are of the very highest quality. The feedback we get from fisheries is always positive, which shows we must be doing something right. We’re proud of the incredibly high survival rate of our fish. Animals are always at their most vulnerable in their youth, so getting through the first stages of their lives is really important. We separate the fish into sizes, one tank contains newborn fish, and we work all the way up to the biggest trout which weigh the same as a couple of bags of sugar.

“I’ve been here a very long time now and I still enjoy hearing the children screaming in delight when the fish leap for food. We’ve assembled a great team who are all dedicated to nurturing the fish as well as providing the best possible experience for our visitors,” added Kate.

Kate, who started working at the farm in 1984, says wildlife lovers will have plenty to see when they visit. “Obviously the fish are the main attraction but we’ve got a wide variety of wildlife here. We often see water voles, shrews, mink, swans and a number of different species of duck. If you’re very lucky you might see an otter or kingfisher as well. It’s a wonderful place to work, especially when the sun is out,” she said.

There’s more to the farm than just rearing fish to sell to fisheries though. If you fancy getting into angling the farm offers a fishery for novice fisherman, and with so many trout swimming in the waters, you’d fancy your chances of landing one! If you catch a brown or rainbow trout the farm will be more than happy for you to eat it fresh, having been cooked on their barbeque. If you’re after the freshest trout to take home for dinner, look no further than the shop which sells filleted trout, straight from the pools of the farm along with smoked trout and pate, all produced in-house. If you can’t take the fish home the cafe serves it in many different forms, an ideal way to sample the local produce.

The crystal-clear waters of the Bibury Spring provide the essential pure water required to run the hatchery, which spawns up to 6 million trout every year. Continued Kate: “We’re a working farm but our staff are always keen to stop and chat and answer any questions visitors have. We’re committed to being somewhere where people can come and learn about the fish we produce.”