Sheep

We have rare breed of sheep - CastleMilk Moorit. They are currently in the 'At Risk' category on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust list.

The breed originated in Dumfriesshire, Scotland in the 1900s, and were established as a decorative breed to adorn the parkland of a lord’s estate.

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They are kept outdoors all year round and unlike conventional breeds the lambs take 14-18 months to get to weight and even then they have lighter carcasses. (Conventional breed lambs take 6-8 months to reach its finished weight)

This lengthy refinement results in very flavoursome lamb unlike any in a supermarket, and is also much leaner.

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We also have mutton available at certain times of the year, and will soon be able to offer this year round. They are raised on grass, and hay during winter months but they do get a handful of nuts to get the ewes to weight for lambing and to catch the sheep for shearing etc. 

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Lamb, Hogget or Mutton?

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Technically a lamb is a young sheep not more than a year old. A hogget is a yearling sheep that has not yet cut its second teeth. A yearling sheep being a sheep between one and two years of age. Finally, mutton is a term for meat that comes from an older sheep. 

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The longer a sheep has to mature, the deeper and richer the flavour will be. In our Grandparents day, mutton was a staple for many British households. One of the reasons for this was the speed it took for a lamb to put on weight. The modern commercial breeds of sheep were not as prevalent, consequently it took longer for a traditional breed to reach a table weight and therefore the costs were greater to the farmer. But the quality of the meat was vastly superior to the modern commercial breeds available today. This is what we have tried to achieve!

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To read more about the breeds history, visit - https://www.rbst.org.uk/castlemilk-moorit