The end product
I believe that my responsibility to my animals extends to making sure that their end is as stress-free as I can make it.
I visited several abattoirs to find the most suitable. The pigs go to C&S meats near Sherborne, and the sheep go to C&S or Clarke's at Sixpenny Handley. Both are small-scale and cater for smaller producers. The animals (and I) are not hurried during off-loading, and the animals get their own pens and are given plenty time to settle.
I visited several abattoirs to find the most suitable. The pigs go to C&S meats near Sherborne, and the sheep go to C&S or Clarke's at Sixpenny Handley. Both are small-scale and cater for smaller producers. The animals (and I) are not hurried during off-loading, and the animals get their own pens and are given plenty time to settle.
At C&S meats, the sheep and pigs are butchered and packed by Blackmore Vale Butchery. They do a good job and are happy to cut and pack to my (sometimes very precise) specifications. The meat looks and tastes great.
Jacob sheep are a bit on the small side to sell as lamb, so I keep them on for a second summer and kill them as Hogget. Hogget is the name given to sheep that are between 1and 2 yrs old. The advantage of this it a more developed flavour and bigger joints.