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Situated some 700 ft above sea level in the heart of the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Whitestaunton Lamb was founded in 2013 by Matthew Dyer at the former Woodhayes Farm. A former dairy farm led by my Grandfather and his twin brother. In fact, I am the 5th generation to farm here dating back to the late 1800s. With South West facing land across the steep hillside above the River Yarty, the natural pasture is perfect for raising sheep.
More about MatthewWe are not large scale and as a result, not self sufficient. However this does mean we are very low impact and very self reliant. All lamb is naturally reared on pasture all year round. The lambs stay with their mothers all summer and on the rich natural pasture (No fields have been ploughed or re-seeded for at least 30 years) increasing natural herbage and variety which I believe is reflected in the taste.
The lamb we sell in the late summer/ autumn is entirely grass fed and the lamb we sell in the late winter/early spring is fed supplementary ‘cake’ in the fields to help them maintain the layer of fat they will have used through the winter when grass quality naturally drops.
More about WhitestauntonThese native breeds have been specifically chosen for their hardiness and natural flavour, which like a fine wine only improves with age which is why we sell half the lambs at the end of winter rather than as early as possible.
Everything is done alongside Nature trying to be as natural as possible. Lambing outdoors is encouraged just as it would be in the wild, however this is weather dependent. Lambing takes place from the middle of March through April and into May as the climate can be harsh and we try to mimic the sheep’s natural breeding cycle. Hard feed is given to the ewes in the last few weeks leading up to lambing to keep them in the best condition possible in order to feed their lambs.
Antibiotics are kept to an absolute minimum and are only used when absolutely necessary and when the animal’s health is compromised.
More about MatthewWhitestaunton Lamb consists of a newly established pedigree flock of Lleyns known as the ‘Whitestaunton Lleyns’ Est 2020 and a pedigree flock of Ryelands, ‘Woodhayes Ryelands’ Est 2017. These two breeds are Native and formerly Rare Breeds and ideally suited to non-intensive conditions. There is also a mixture of various breeds within the commercial flock including Suffolks, Dorset x and Southdown as well as homebred Rare Breed Balwen x.
About Whitestaunton
