A Long Winter

We have made it through what seems like the longest winter ever!

Non-stop rain and bitterly cold wind have given way to slightly warmer temperatures with some actual sunshine!

Lambing season has been and gone as we decided to lamb slightly earlier in March this year. We’ve heavily relied upon family for help this year due to Alice being pregnant with our second child and Jake working full time. Our “easy, low input” Herdwicks have let us down this year, almost everyone of them has needed a helping hand one way or another, whether that has been help with birthing a lamb coming the wrong way or a ewe deciding she doesn’t want to be a mother this year! A far cry from last year where we didn’t need to assist a single one. But alas we have made it through and come out with a good crop of lambs that are now thriving in the sunshine.

Last years lambs are coming up to prime weight once again, so get your lamb orders in now, after all, lamb is the perfect meat for Easter Sunday dinner.

We have welcomed the first chicks of the year now the ground has dried up. We receive the chicks at just a day old from a local organic hatchery and they stay inside under a heat lamp for between 4-5 weeks before they move outside into an orchard pen where they can run and scratch about, doing what chickens should.

We have some more weaners arriving next month, this time Tamworth’s. They will live in our woodland pen which has recovered well after a long break from pigs. We do have some pork still available from our previous batch, including our delicious sausages ready for BBQ season.

The Winter saw the end of a tremendous shoot season, the dogs did us proud.. mostly. Midgie our young Labrador got her first taste of shooting and we will be doing lots of training over the summer months to ready her for her first season come October.

With our old spaniel Pod in retirement, his daughter Sybil stepped into his ‘paws’ once again proving a reliable side kick for Jake.

Sika, mother of Midgie, continued her steady ways in the beating line alongside Alice and Sidney (on Alice’s back).

Crofters Cabin has seen a few visitors braving the cold weather over the winter. The fire has been lit in preparation for their arrivals to welcome them to a warm and cosy cabin.

Our first guests of the main season have been and very much enjoyed the warmer and longer evenings to sit on the deck and watch the new-born lambs frolic in the field in front. We look forward to welcoming many guests over the summer months.

We hope for a long and sunny summer ahead and thank all our customers for their continued support.

Jake, Alice and Sidney

Pod, Bean, Sybil, Sika and Midge 🐾