Snowy pictures from Partridge Farm

Butchery day on Partridge Farm

Yesterday was an exciting day, here on Partridge farm. Not only did the vet come to do the final results of our TB tests and let us know we PASSED!!! A customer who bought some Rare Breed Large Black weaners from us last year came along for the day to do a butchery course which we are now going to be running throughout the year to offer people who are interested the chance to learn how to prepare the meat they have bred, raised or are planning on raising!!

For this particular customer who doesn't own a trailer, we started the whole process going by delivering his two Large Black weaners to him once he had been up to our farm and chosen the weaners he wanted.  He & his family enjoyed raising them & When they were at the right size we collected them and took them to our local slaughter house where they were hung for a few days. After this we then collected the carcasses and brought them back to our own butchery where we held the course.

Our lovely new butchery room is well equipped and has a fair sized walk in fridge and freezer and a decent sized curing room for hanging all the cured meats. There is easily enough room for 5 to 6 people to comfortably stand and watch demonstrations and have a go at all the things themselves.

We covered everything from jointing the pig & vac packing all the separate joints, curing hams & bacon to dicing the pork and then mincing it up to make sausages and chorizos.  We of course made time for a yummy lunch and ate bacon & sausage sandwiches and drank plenty of hot cups of tea to keep ourselves warm!!

The chorizos and bacon is all hanging up in our curing room and will be delivered to our customer once it is ready but everything else was taken home by our customer who I am sure is now tucking into some porkie treats especially as it is now snowing!!

www.partridgefarmtiverton.com

Time for our Winter Warmer stew!!!

Well the past week has been just a bit more than hectic to say the least!! We are now well underway with the lambing which (fingers crossed) is going really well!! Every lamb born so far has been strong and healthy which is very lucky considering & we have had an even number of ewe & ram lambs!!

We start all our Markets next week with Tiverton's Pannier Market on Tuesday, Minehead on Friday & Dartington on Sunday!! So a busy week we will have! You must come & see us at one of the markets and get some of our delicious grass fed Aberdeen Angus beef or rare breed lamb or pork, I will be making fresh sausage rolls for each market too and they are definitely worth a try!!!

I think now the weather is getting colder it is definitely time for Partridge Farm's Winter Warmer stew, delicious if you make it with our grass fed Aberdeen Angus shin of beef!!!www.partridgefarmtiverton.com

THE LARDER: The Harder You Throw a Ball the Stronger it Bounce...

THE LARDER: The Harder You Throw a Ball the Stronger it Bounce...: The last couple of weeks have probably been the toughest but most exciting for us yet.  As anyone who is close to us will know, we have take...

Hi ho, hi ho, its off to Exeter we go!!!

Friday morning means only one thing, off to Exeter Livestock Market to sell our surplus weaners. Sadly with the price of pig feed rocketing through the roof we cannot afford to keep anymore weaners than we need, so despite the fact weaners are not selling well we have to take them & sell them. Fingers crossed we get a fair price for them.

Its been a busy week here on Partridge Farm this week with Monday seeing the arrival of our very first lamb to see the New Year in. A ewe lamb too and she is doing well considering Mum is a first timer!! 2 of our pedigree Large Black sows also gave birth to two very healthy litters, so lots of new life here which is exciting!!

Happy New Year!!!

Wishing each & every one of you a Very Happy New Year xxxx

Happy New Year from Partridge Farm!!

What a year 2012 has been for us on Partridge Farm. It's been a rollercoaster journey from start to finish although we most certainly don't look back with any regrets.

We have had an amazing time starting up our market stalls in Tiverton, Dartington, Hatherleigh and Minehead. Thoroughly enjoyed having stalls at a few of the Spring & Summer Fayres. Met many likeminded people and made some very good friends.

The butchery is now up & running and our new home-cured bacon has been flying off the shelves along with our chorizos and cured hams!! I have loved making all the sausage rolls for events and to order for many of our customers & Having a kitchen full of delicious smells at various times of the year when i have made stews and other delicous ready meals has been a test of my will power to not eat or tuck into the yummy food!!!

We have really enjoyed running the Partridge Farm  Barbeque at a few very well supported events this Summer/Autumn and look forward to this Spring when we will be back out there with our delicious Aberdeen Angus beef burgers and Rare breed Sausages cooking away to feed all our customers!

The farm despite being very wet and muddy is finally working how we want it to work & we have some exciting plans for 2013. Our cattle are looking very good and are now all in their barns for Winter, we look forward to a drier Spring and getting them back onto their lush green fields. Our first lot of sheep are in their barns for lambing and we have now begun the exciting process again!! As for the pigs, we now have 1 fantastic pedigree Large Black boar & 4 pedigree breeding sows. They are looking fabulous and have had 2 healthy litters since Christmas to start the New year perfectly!

Here's to an exciting and prosperous year ahead... Bring on 2013!!! Happy New year to you all xx