Yew Tree Farm Heritage Meats
Yew Tree Farm, Coniston, Cumbria, LA21 8DP
Produce: Herdwick Hogget
An historic National Trust Farm, in the heart of the English Lakes District, once owned by Beatrix Potter, producing some of the finest tasting Herdwick Hogget and Belted Galloway Beef.
Yew Tree Farm is steeped in history, and is well known for once being owned by Beatrix Potter. When Jon Watson arrived more than 20 years ago, he fell in love with the ever-changing mountain scenery, as well as the wonderfully flavoured Cumbrian Herdwick Hogget. Jon farms 700 acres of stunningly beautiful fell, which his rare breed animals help to conserve.
They eat not only all the different types of grasses, but also berries, moss and heather that grow wild, and which many cattle and sheep will not touch.
Eating such a varied natural diet and growing so slowly and naturally, is why the resulting meat from his animals has superb depth of flavour, earning Jon a host of Great Taste and Fine Produce Awards.
Jon Watson's Pedigree Herd of Belted Galloway Cattle are slow growing and are famed for their hardy nature and good character, they are able to utilise the rough fells and pastures to create delicious nutritious beef.
Belted Galloway is one of the traditional native beef breeds that have become "rare breeds" since the introduction of supermarkets. Belted Galloway Cattle grow more slowly but thrive on fell plants, grasses and heather on the Lakeland fells. Whilst they take longer to mature, the resulting taste of the beef they produce is really delicious and an added benefit is that Grass Fed Beef has been shown to contain higher levels of beneficial omega 3 and other unsaturated fats and lower levels of saturated fat than grain fed beef.
Jon sells Herdwick Hogget, which is lamb that has been allowed to mature naturally for about a year and a half. Jon believes his lambs should have a decent length of life and importantly this extra time is required to gain flavour too. Jon only sells what he produces on the farm. All his animals are born, reared and finished on his farm. They only leave when they're ready for slaughter, at which point Jon personally transports them to a small, local, family run abattoir. On return he hangs the carcasses for up to three weeks, and then butchers and packages the meat himself. Ethically reared, fully traceable, uniquely delicious meat!
Awards
Great Taste Awards Gold 3 Star
National Trust Fine Farm Produce Award
Country Living Best in Britain Food Award
Gluten Free
