Lambing Days 2026
Our BIGGEST event of the year is coming, so get your tickets soon before they’re all gone. Meet our newest arrivals and experience life on the farm up close. Tickets are on sale now!
📍 Wickham, SO32 2JW
📅 9th – 12th April 2026
⚠️ PLEASE NOTE: FOR HEALTH REASONS THIS EVENT IS NOT SUITABLE FOR PREGNANT WOMEN ⚠️
Early season shearing
Our ewes are looking a little lighter lately. Traditionally, British sheep are sheared in late spring (usually May or June), just ahead of the warmer months. However, with the prolonged wet weather we’ve experienced this winter, we made the decision to shear in February instead.
With all the rain we’ve been having, keeping our ewes in full winter coats was becoming a welfare risk. Heavy, saturated fleeces were causing the ewes to frequently get cast (stuck on their backs and unable to get back up without help). While we keep a very close eye on the flock, if this happens overnight it can have serious consequences and even be fatal.
Later in the season, usually around March and April, the warmer weather mixed with frequent showers creates the perfect conditions for Flystrike. This is a serious welfare issue where flies lay their eggs in damp, soiled fleece
Instead of waiting until just before summer as we normally would, we’ve brought shearing forward to keep our flock healthy and comfortable. The wellbeing of our livestock always comes first.
With shearing complete, our ewes are now more comfortable, healthier and better prepared as we move towards lambing.
Lambing is one of the most rewarding (and demanding) times of year on the farm. It represents new beginnings, long nights, and the satisfaction of seeing healthy lambs arrive safely.
The wool economy
You might wonder why we don’t just wait to shear and make the most of the wool. The truth is, wool simply isn’t worth what it used to be.
Last July, we delivered four wool sacks – each weighing almost 100kg – to a central collection point on a farm near Petersfield. If we’re lucky, we’ll receive around 50 pence per kilo. That’s roughly £200 for all our wool, which is barely enough to cover the cost of shearing, let alone delivering it.
The economics of British wool have changed dramatically over the past few decades. Synthetic fibres and global competition have reduced demand for traditional British fleece. For many farmers across the UK, wool is no longer a profit centre. It is simply a by-product of responsible sheep management.
This is why waiting until May in the hope of “better wool value”isn’t viable. The small potential return does not outweigh the welfare considerations during a prolonged wet season.
The decision is simple. We prioritise our sheep over trying to eke out a profit from wool. They deserve to be comfortable, healthy, and well cared for, and that’s exactly what drives our decisions on the farm.
Our Winchester store is now on Deliveroo!
If you’ve ever reached the end of a busy day and realised you’ve forgotten to pick up meat for dinner, or you’re down to your last sausage, you can now get our butchery range delivered straight to your door from our Winchester store.
We know life gets in the way, and a last-minute dinner doesn’t have to mean a compromise on quality. Whether it’s a midweek steak, a pack of our sausages, or something for the weekend, the same meat you’d find on our counter is now just a few taps away.
Over the coming weeks we’ll be adding our deli range and more from the shop too. Search for us on Deliveroo and get your order in.
For the Easter table
We love nothing more than Easter Sunday done properly, the whole family round the table, the smell of something slow-roasting in the oven, and if we’re lucky, warm enough for that first al-fresco dinner of the year.
For most, that means a leg or shoulder of lamb as the centrepiece. If you prefer beef, a rolled sirloin or topside makes a great alternative.
However you celebrate, make sure the centrepiece is something special. Our Easter order form is now live! Click here
