Frequently asked questions
Beef & Lamb
Do you breed your own animals?
We breed Shetland Cattle for beef, and Coloured Ryeland sheep for lamb, hogget and mutton. We slaughter two beef steers (castrated males) each year, just before they reach 30 months of age, and up to 20 tup (male) lambs.
Currently we only have three breeding cows, and in years when we when have fewer than two male calves we will buy one or two pure-bred Shetland male calves from other breeders to raise as beef on our land.
What do you feed your cattle and sheep?
Our steers eat fresh grass in spring, summer and autumn, and hay (dried grass) over winter. In winter they will sometimes be fed a small amount of sugar beet as a treat and to train them.
Our tup lambs will only ever have a diet of sheep’s milk and fresh grass. They are slaughtered off of grass in October.
This grass-fed diet produces superior quality beef and lamb meat, with excellent flavour and healthy, nutty fat. The beef has amazing marbling, due to the grass diet and the slow growth over 30 months.
Is your meat fresh or frozen?
We have fresh beef and lamb available in October and November – please sign-up four our mailing list for notification of availability. At all other times our beef and lamb is sold frozen.
Do you deliver meat?
We can deliver meat locally to Carnoustie and the surrounding area. We do not offer delivery of meat via courier or the postal service.
How long is your beef hung for?
Our beef is hung for a minimum of 21 days. This is an important step in the production process, allowing the naturally occuring enzymes in the meat to improve its flavour and tenderness. The ageing process also allows the meat to dry, losing up to 15% of its weight – this is why supermarket meat is rarely dry-aged, or worst is vacuum-packed prior to hanging.