Words by James M
3 mins
Earlier this month I stood on the top of the North Yorkshire moors on the Summerstone Estate. I was looking at 80 Belted Galloway and calves roaming 1,500 acres.
The farmer Graham was almost more excited about the returning white leaf clover growing and going to seed than showing off his latest calves. The word regenerative is thrown around a lot but there was no disputing the definition here. These cattle were free roaming and very hard to find!
The regenerative methods of farming at Summerstone mean that the cattle are used to improve soil health by lightly grazing pasture and moving on, whilst naturally fertilising the pasture without depleting the land of its nutrients. Building soil fertility allows the native grasses and flowers to grow, in turn creating a natural ecosystem that was alive around us, with the red kite circling over the abundance of wildflowers.
These cattle are pedigree and they only make up a small part of our new heritage breed scheme but I have no doubt this will be some of the best beef we’ll see in boxes in the months to come.
With Graham on the Summerstone Estate
Belties are native and enjoy tougher terrains and poorer grasses. They thrive in these conditions and love laying down fat. Walking these fields and understanding how Graham cares for them is incredibly important to us. He’s also a vet where being a vet in James Herriot country is a competitive field!
We recognise that as our business has grown the beef we retail has been inconsistent at times. We have spent the last 12 months looking at how we can give you access to even better beef, and the result is something we’re all really excited about.
We started Field & Flower with traditional breed cattle on our own farm and have always tried to ensure the beef we deliver you matches the first 32 beef boxes we ever sold in 2011. Here is a photo of me packing one of our first beef boxes, luckily Polystyrene boxes are a thing of the past!
Packing our first beef orders in 2011
Driving away from a day on the Yorkshire Moors along the river Nidd and through Grassington was a day which ensured we were still in touch with our farming roots and confirmed we have found some fantastic new beef farmers, producing beef that we can’t wait for you to try over the coming weeks and months.
I hope you notice the difference in the beef. Let me know what you've been trying and enjoying. My favourite choices at the moment are rump steaks (always a favourite), Denver steaks and onglet steaks (best pan fried in a little butter). You can also add our Everyday steak of the week or Prime steak of the week to your box (more on this from Sam next week).
More to explore: