Christmas Crop Showcase - 1 December 2026

Join us for an insightful panel discussion between local farmers and growers producing livestock and crops we typically associate with the festive season, from turkeys to Brussels sprouts and Christmas trees. 

Discover how they have built thriving businesses around short, intense seasonal windows and what really goes into putting your festive meal on the table. 

Across the discussion, our guest speakers will unpack the advantages, the disadvantages and the commercial opportunities of seasonal production, from the power of concentrated demand, the pressure of narrow harvest and sales periods and the operational challenges of labour to logistics and the strategic decisions that shape long-term resilience. 

They will also share how these seasonal peaks integrate into their broader business models, from diversification and year‑round revenue balancing to festive trends and customer engagement.

Our confirmed speakers so far are:

David Hawes – Director of Jesse Smith & WJ Castle Butchers

Andy Dibben - Head Grower at Abbey Home Farm

Christopher Horne, an agriculture sector specialist, who provides advisory and investment services to help agri-businesses succeed, will be chairing the discussion.

Complementing proceedings, we will be serving mulled wine and mince pies and there will be the opportunity to place orders with the farmers and growers, ahead of the festive season.

We look forward to sharing booking information and our final speakers very soon. In the meantime, if you would like to register your interest to receive the event booking link directly to your inbox when booking opens, please email alliston.centre@rau.ac.uk.