SUCKLER      GRASS FED      TASTE & TEXTURE      ORGANIC

Immunity inherent from the mother resulting in improved health and reduced need for vet intervention.

Parasites - because still having milk helps to build up own immunity to bugs.

Calves thrive in natural setting being cared for by their mother.

The animals grow at a more natural rate making the meat more tender.                   

We believe the saying "you are what you eat" holds as true for cattle as it does for us. Therefore we make sure our animals diet is based around natural foods fed in a natural manner. For cattle, this means good sweet unforced (i.e. no artificial fertiliser) clover and grass to graze during the spring, summer and early autumn followed by the best hay and silage for the winter months. There is occasionally the need to feed a little organic rolled barley to certain individuals to "cheer them up a bit"!! but it is not in any quantity and not to do so could compromise the welfare of the animal which we place above all else.

You will notice the beef on your plate has a better taste and texture than most supermarket beef. Part of the reasons for this is that the animal has been allowed to grow  more slowly at its natural rate and hasn't been fed large volumes of ad lib cereal concentrates.

It doesn't take much investigation to discover that only a small percentage of the beef you eat has been raised our way. The pressure from the major retail outlets is such that low cost and speed of production are the maxims.

If the World Trade Organisation talks end up with ever increasing world competition in the supply of food, we will soon be able to enjoy beef from America and other countries where welfare is not such a high priority. In the US cattle are often reared on 'feed lots' where up to 100,000 animals are fed on maize, Soya and other high octane feeds which are more often than not Genetically Modified. This diet combined with growth promoters creates very rapid growth but this can only be sustained for a maximum of two years because the animal’s stomach is unable to cope with such a concentrated diet. What is more this diet depends on large quantities of oil for its production in the way of fertilizers, agrochemicals, irrigation and haulage. Micheal Pollan, a reporter with the New York Times has calculated that this method of production took 283 gallons of oil per animal!! This type of system really is completely UNSUSTAINABLE.

It is also worth noting that following BSE legislation Britain is the only country in the world to ban the use of animal derivatives in cattle feed.

The key to taste is fat! 

The reason fat is so important is that many of the flavour bearing molecules are soluble in fat but not in water. Fat also keeps the meat moist and well lubricated as it cooks. 

There are two areas of fat on an animal, the obvious outer layer which can be removed after cooking if you’re concerned about your waistline, and the threads of fat that run between the muscle meat – called marbling. This marbling only appears in slow grown and more mature animals. It is vital for increasing the succulence and tenderness of meat as it lubricates the meat from within as it cooks increasing the flavour.  

A recent study at Bristol University examined the differences between samples of intensively and extensively reared meat in terms of nutritional value and physical character. The results showed that cattle fed on grass based diets have higher omega 3 fatty acids whereas the meat from cattle fed intensively on concentrates are higher in the less desirable omega 6 fatty acids. Grass fed beef was also higher in Vitamin E. In the same study the ‘taste panel’ also scored the grass fed beef higher than that from those fed on concentrate diets. 

Also see Natural Cooling.

“Organic agriculture is a defined system-based form of production designed to produce food of optimum quality and quantity using sustainable management practices to avoid the use of agrochemical inputs and which minimise damage to the environment and wildlife.” (Reference - Soil Association Standards). 

To us it means that we rear our cattle naturally, respecting the expression and needs of their innate behaviour. The farm is managed with due respect for the environment encouraging biodiversity, no artificial fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides are used. 

Only organic feed is permitted and no ‘genetically modified’ feedstuffs are ever used. The welfare of our cattle is paramount.