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Down on the farm

IN January, thoughts often turn to healthy living and healthy eating – and if that’s the case, then it might be worth turning to Waterloo Cottage Farm.

Winners of two awards in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards – Food and Beverage Achiever of the Year and Artisan Local Savoury Product of the Year – the farm and its shop are dedicated to produce that is recyclable, renewable, eco-friendly, healthy, local and tasty.

The farm shop, butchery and food school?started because Angus Clarke had a dream to produce meat that he knew came from healthy, well cared for and locally reared animals. After buying the farmhouse, five acres and two pigs called Fleur and Ruth in 2010, Angus and his wife Kirsty began the journey that has led to the 125-acre farm, farm shop, butchery school and community garden they now run.

In December 2010, they converted a barn and opened a small farm shop, bought more pigs and sheep, employed a master butcher. They have a resident chef to make pies, lasagna, sausages, steak pies, pork pies, charcuterie and lots more for the shop. Final additions were a range of preserves, pickles, local vegetables, cakes and bread made by local small producers like themselves. British cheeses and an impressive selection of Adnams wines top the offering off.

Today, the business is a lot bigger but the ethics remain unchanged – recyclable, renewable, eco-friendly, healthy, local and tasty. The beef and lamb are pasture fed. The cattle are reared to 30 months (10 months more than the norm) and chemicals are avoided except in medical emergencies. Angus grows the pasture to feed these animals throughout the year. Their herd of Highland cattle is growing, it will take a few years until they have enough to totally supply the shop. Until then they source organic, pasture fed short horn from 5 miles away. The beef is then hung for 28 days before butchering.

All of the lamb, hogget and mutton for the shop comes from the farm’s own animals, and the truly free range pigs account for 90 per cent of the shop pork , occasionally there is a small gap in production and they source from free range British pork producers. Different breeds are used for different end products – Saddleback and Gloucestershire Old Spot make ideal bacon and charcuterie, while the Petrain boar provides offspring that carry less fat and are great for roasts and steaks. Winning great taste awards for their bresoala and coppa ham, Kirsty and her team are in the process of developing a charcuterie range to sell to other retailers.

The farm also runs butchery and sausage making courses and has a community vegetable garden. Plans to open a cafZ and yurt glamping by Easter 2017 have been approved.

Waterloo Cottage Farm is far more than a farm shop, built on a dream and is run to a clear vision by passionate people. To find out more, call 01858 467158, email or visit www.waterloocottagefarm.co.uk

Free Healthy Clean Lean sessions will be held each Tuesday evening at 7pm, during January and February where guests can taste different dishes made with healthy food and hear about why pasture-fed meat is better for you.?Rather than a calorie counting diet, this is simply a new, healthy way of eating great food and guests will leave with a week’s worth of menus to try out.

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