Draft:Lutfi Radwan and Ruby Radwan

Lutfi and Ruby Radwan are the founders of Willowbrook Farm, the first farm in the UK based on Islamic principles of sustainable and ethical stewardship. Founded in 2002 it was responsible for initiating the debate within the Muslim community surrounding the broader meaning of the terms Halal (acceptable), Tayib (pure) and the wider concept of Khilafa (stewardship) in relation to food, farming and the environment.

Lutfi Radwan and Ruby Radwan (nee Bhatti) both grew up in Finchley, North London and unbeknown to each other attended the same school.

Lutfi went on to take a scholarship to study Arabic and Islamic Law in Medina, Saudi Arabia before returning to the UK to study Arabic and Geography at S.O.A.S, University of London. In 1989 he completed his PhD in Soil and Water conservation at Nuffield College, Oxford University. Ruby studied Psychology at then, City of London Polytechnic, later training as an Aromatherapist and Reflexologist while taking care of their three (and subsequently five) children.

With a young family they lived abroad in Africa for some time where Lutfi worked on a number of agricultural and reforestation projects. They subsequently returned to the UK where Lutfi took up a lecturing post at the School of Geography, Oxford University and Ruby taught A Level Psychology at a private Oxford College.

In 2002 they gave up their jobs, sold their home and moved on to 43.5 acres of empty farmland in North Oxfordshire. Driven by their desire to raise their family close to nature and to take responsibility for the food they eat and the environment in which they live they founded WIllowbrook Farm.