Lambing Season: Our March Update from the Dales & Fells

March is here, and we've finally managed to start remembering the year is 2016, not 2015. No sign of warm weather though in our neck of the woods, with it very much remaining damp and grey, though daffodils will be lighting up the verges of the Dales before too long.. However, new born lambs are on the way, and we've spotted a few in the fields already. This is one of the most intense times of the year in the Dales, with the farmers spending sleepless nights in chilly barns caring for their flock. It can be a long slog, so spare a thought for them these coming weeks.

The past month has been tremendous for us - with a record number of breeds on offer. Now we are in new premises with a much bigger dry aging room, it means our Master Butcher can hang more at any one time, and that means more variety. This past month we've had Swaledale, Angus, Highland, Galloway, Saddleback, Red Poll, Cheviot, Ryedale, and more.

Our founding mission was to show there is a market for rare breeds, and it's so heartening to see this vision being realised. Some of these breeds came perilously close to extinction not so long ago, but now the future is looking bright, and this is only a good thing for the nation's table but also British farming tradition. It just goes to show there's a whole side to farming that most people would never even know about from buying the bog standard meat on offer in the supermarket.

Our next newcomer will be Wensleydale lamb, which is a country show star in Yorkshire, with its long fleece and elegant looks. Keep an eye out for that, as it's a delicacy in these parts, and this lamb in particular has been grazed on heather. This makes for especially sweet and succulent lamb.

We're also looking forward to Easter too. In the past weeks we've been perfecting our range ready. A lot of work goes into this, especially for the cuts that are a little unusual or involve a handmade stuffing. Our chefs sit down with our Master Butcher, and together they come up with a plan as to what sounds delicious. They then write a recipe for the stuffing to try and get the very best results in the kitchen, using the freshest ingredients. Once this is tried and tested to make sure it's the best, it can go live on the site.

Stuffed Chicken Cushion

Stuffed Cushion of Nidderdale Lamb

Stuffed Saddle of Lamb

There's plenty more too, on our Easter section for you to have a look at. Don't forget you can always give us a call if you're in doubt about servings and what not - we're all very knowledgeable about our produce, and can give advice.

Finally, we'd just like to say that our stocking of goat was an incredible success. We sold out in one day flat which took us all by surprise. A number of customers have been ringing up in the last few days to see when it'll be back - we'll let you know when it's ready for order.

All the best,

John & Lee