Despite being a beloved figure in British farming, with countless books and TV shows documenting her delightfully chaotic family’s rural lifestyle, was not always a country girl. Born to a mechanic father and a model-turned-secretary mother, Amanda spent her childhood in suburban Huddersfield.
It was James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small that sparked her dream of farm life. However, her initial experiences were far from idyllic.
Leaving school at 16, Amanda’s first job was milking cows on a West Yorkshire dairy farm. Speaking to the Sunday Times, she confessed: “I f***ing hated it,” adding, “It was not what I imagined at all. I smelt of effluent and silo, I was rubbish at it.”
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She dreamed of farming as a young girl – but the reality was a rude awakening (Image: Channel 4)
Despite this, Amanda was resolute in her determination to persevere. Partly she admits out of pride, as she had told so many people she would love farming.
Eventually, she did fall in love with it, settling at Ravenseat Farm in Swaledale with her husband Chris. The couple divorced in 2022 after 22 years of marriage but continue to live on the same property, their nine children moving freely between the main farmhouse and the neighbouring holiday cottage, reports .
While farming was her first love, Amanda concedes that her media career is her primary source of income. She quipped: “Waxing lyrical about sheep and showing pictures of sheep makes more money than actually doing anything with a sheep,”.
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Amanda admits her thriving media career is more lucrative than life as a tenant farmer (Image: Channel 4)
Amanda has expressed her concerns regarding legal changes that could make life tough for farmers who lack a successful television side-gig to supplement their income. She acknowledged that while sizable agricultural enterprises need to navigate these challenges, “hard times” are likely in store for the average tenant farmers.
Amanda pointed out that farming has become more challenging over the years, with pressures from consumers demanding cheaper food, despite political calls for environmental actions: “Farmers are really, really good at implementing whatever is wanted of them, but it’s hard when you’re getting mixed messages.”
She described the perplexing expectations placed on farmers today, stating, “You’re supposed to be a food producer. You’re supposed to be the guardian of the land. You’re supposed to be battling climate change. You feel like whatever you do, there’s somebody saying, ‘No, you shouldn’t be doing it like that,’ and then the following week it’ll be something else.”
Amanda and ex-husband Chris have nine children – eight of whom still live on the farm (Image: Channel 4)
However, Amanda seems to be managing well; she is not only running Ravenseat Farm successfully but is also raising nine children—with eight still at home—and dealing amicably with an ex-husband living a stone’s throw away.
With her hands full, Amanda remains hopeful about the next generation stepping into the family trade, although she humorously notes the practicality of having a child in a trade skill.
She added: “Obviously one of them being a plasterer would be helpful. An electrician would be great. Plumber – brilliant.”