Half a hogget meat box - £175
Hogget is basically a big lamb, kept until its second summer. I am trialling hogget with my slow-reared, pure grass-fed sheep. Apparently superb roasted, slow-cooked or fried, hogget is a delicious version of lamb. The meat becomes slightly fuller in flavour and the animal is larger, meaning well-sized chops, cutlets and more meat including the possibility of lean, diced lamb cut from the top of the leg. I have 12 half hoggets available this week, first come first served. You will receive a handsome shoulder, leg, rack, packs of chops, neck steaks on the bone, mince and diced meat in your box which will feed the family with delicious healthy meat for a long time. Each box is excellent value at £175 and all cuts are vacuum-packed in convenient portions and labelled and ready to put in the freezer or enjoy immediately.
Please order by emailing me on rose@rosedalesorganicfarm.com
Manor Farm News
Dear all,
Autumn has finally arrived after a long, dry summer. The warmth was most enjoyable (apart perhaps from the brief period of blistering heat) but it has been challenging for farmers. The grass stopped growing and we and many other local livestock farmers ended up having to feed hay and silage. This is really intended for the winter so I am wondering if we will have enough food for the long winter months.
Usually, the grass stops growing by November and doesn’t start again until April, so we need 5 or 6 months’ worth of food set aside and they eat a remarkably large amount! Even now, there is hardly a drop of rain and the usual September second flush of grass growth has barely happened.
Being organic and wishing to stop unsustainable food practices like feeding grain or other imported foods to livestock, we plan to have the right amount of stock that the farm itself can sustain, producing our own hay and silage to get everything through the winter but this year we might be caught out.
The hedges are absolutely laden with berries, hips and haws and are looking truly splendid. They will be a welcome sight to the migrating birds, like redwings and fieldfares, that come down from the north to overwinter in our milder climes. I have never seen such wonderful blackberries. I have been picking and freezing small bags of them to throw into apple crumbles over the winter. Lots get eaten on the daily walks around the farm, even the dogs enjoy picking and eating them! With the last of the sun, there a still a few late-season butterflies on the farm. Last week I saw a wonderful comma (a butterfly with wavy-edged wings) and a couple of clouded yellows which I have not seen in recent years.
I have just started a course on hosting school visits on the farm – risk assessments and so on will be covered but also how to make the visits as worthwhile as possible for the children visiting, including covering aspects of their curricula. Being outdoors allows a completely different learning experience and often children who are switched off in the classroom become much more attuned when outside. It’s also an interesting change for the teachers. I am excited about sharing the farm but a bit nervous too. However, I feel sure that connecting with nature and being outdoors is very good for children’s wellbeing both physical and mental and I am looking forward to it.
I would like to invite teachers and children from local schools so, if anyone is interested, please get in touch with me.
All the best,
Rose Dale, Manor Farm
