Farming & Food Production

Dairy Cows

Our dairy is unique as our cows are reared on a 100% grass-fed diet and the calves born into our dairy herd are raised by their mothers for at least 4 months before they are gradually weaned. The cows have a diverse pasture of grasses and wildflowers as well as access to browse trees and hedgerows. Our cows spend their entire lives outdoors. Our cows are rare native breed cattle - Red Polls and Northern Dairy Shorthorns - and they thrive on their 100% forage based diet. We milk our cows seasonally from May to December and over the winter, we feed hay to our cows and offer them Pink Himalayan rock salt and organic Scottish seaweed.

Woodland Pigs

Our rare native breed pigs spend their entire lives in 10 acres of South Downs woodland. The pigs are hardy and have a strong rooting instinct which sees them thrive in their natural habitat. The diet of our pigs consists of organic pig feed, forage of plants, nuts & fruits as well as the whey from our cheesemaking. The varied diet of our pigs coupled with their woodland lifestyle makes for nutritious and delicious pork.

Cheese

We produce our cheese exclusively from the raw milk of our small dairy herd. We milk our cows seasonally, from May to December, when their 100% grass-fed diet is comprised of our pastures, wildflower meadows, hedges and trees. The seasonality and 100% forage based milk leads to a distinct variability in the characteristics of our milk which we capture in our unhurried cheesemaking process which relies on a long ferment of the milk. We age our cheese naturally in our cheese cave, relying on the surrounding woodland's native microflora to create our natural rinds.

Charcuterie

Our charcuterie production practices echo our farming ethos. We use low-input methods relying on the high quality of our own reared pork. Every part of the curing and ageing process is done in small batches, by hand. In order to compliment our woodland raised pork, all our herbs and spices are organic and whole - we toast and grind our spices fresh for each batch.

Farming Principles

We practice regenerative agriculture, which means that we manage our livestock for the benefit of the soil. Healthier soil means healthier animals, and the ability to sequester carbon underground. By nurturing the soil in all its complexity, it results in a diversity of plant, animal and insect life. We rotate our cows around the farm using holistic planned grazing to ensure adequate rest time for the pastures and to leave plenty of organic matter trampled under foot. Broken down organic matter is how soil is built.The welfare of our livestock is our top priority, which is why we provide them with their most natural environment in which to express themselves. No matter where our cows are grazing on the farm, they always have access to trees for shelter and shade. Our pigs thrive in their natural habitat; woodland.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why are your cows 100% grass-fed?

A cow's natural diet is grass but modern dairies feed grains, soy and corn to increase the amount of milk they can get from their cows.

However, these feeds are extremely detrimental to the cows digestive system and leads to lots of health problems.

We prioritise our cows health and we therefore don't chase higher milk yields at the expense of our cows' well-being.

Why do we keep the calves and cows together?

We are happy to share the cow's milk with her calf.

Calves have a much better start to their lives if they can receive all the nutrition from their mum's milk.

The calves also build up their immune system in the herd which helps them later on in life.

It's also very important for us that the calves "learn how to be cows" from the matriarchs in the herd so that they pick up good habits and routines.

Finally, if a cow keeps her calf for 4 months and then has the calf gradually weaned, this puts less stress on the cow and is better for her health.

What happens to the calves after they are weaned?

Our heifer (girl) calves stay in our dairy herd as they will eventually become dairy cows themselves.

Our bull (boy) calves join our beef herd which are reared on our sister farm Lavington where they have No-Fence collars and have the ability to range the estate.

Do we milk our cows all year round?

Our cows are milked seasonally from May until December. This is so we give our cows a good break over the winter and not demand too much from them over the winter.

Why do we not house our cows?

Housing cows presents many challenges for cattle health - specifically respiratory health.

We are fortunate to have free draining soil and established woodlands which acts as a barrier for wind and rain for the cows.

What do we feed our pigs?

Our pigs have 10 acres of woodland to forage but we do supplement their diet with soy-free organic pig feed and whey from cheesemaking.