IS YOUR MEAT ORGANIC AND FREE RANGE?

No, our meat is not organic but all the animals have access to outdoors. Our rare breed pork is fed a grain based diet which is drug free, also free of growth promoters and is low protein.  Our pigs are fattened in straw filled yards in small groups with access to outdoors so that they can see the sky, feel the rain on their backs as well as the warmth of the sun.

THE COMMERCIAL PIGS OUTSIDE THAT ARE SEEN ON TELEVISION SEEM HAPPY ENOUGH?

As mentioned above, rare breed pork is fattened on a drug free & low protein diet which allows them to slowly mature producing succulent & flavoursome pork and excellent crackling.  They put fat on much more slowly and take 2-3 months longer to grow to the equivalent commercial weight.  Here's a good tip - next time you see a pig on television, look at its tail. If its docked it has come from an intensive system and will have been weaned from its mum at three weeks old and then fed a high protein diet to speed up it's growth rate. The result of pigs going through an intensive system is a less succulent, less tasty piece of pork.  So although the pigs may seem happy enough on the television, their life is cut much shorter, which then ultimately, produces less appealing pork.

WHAT ABOUT YOUR BEEF AND LAMB

Our rare breed beef comes from locally approved Norfolk farms who specialise in conserving the old British breeds. White Park from Swanton Morley and Catfield, Longhorns from Matishall and Fakenham and Gloucesters from Happisburgh are all grass fed in extensive systems. We keep Southdown, Shetland and Whiteface Woodland lamb on our farm which are also grass fed.  Other breeds supplied by other small producers are Shropshire, Norfolk Horn and Jacob.

THERE SEEMS TO BE A NUMBER OF FAMOUS PORK PIES COMING FROM NORFOLK ARE YOU HAVING A COUNTY COMPETITION?

The famous ones spoken of in the Times over the last couple of years are made by us to our secret recipe. We supply a number of farm shops and distributors throughout Norfolk.  We hope to make our Shortcrust meat filled pies as famous soon. So watch this space!!!