The grass fed and raw dairy supplier thread

Glaucus · 17 Jan 2013 at 06:27

Well it seems a few of us have/are going this route and I for one am finding it hard to fine such quality products. So thought we should have a thread and hopefully we can swap suppliers and grow a decent list. What annoys me, is that even meat sites that say grass fed, they often say finished on grain or other stuff.

Beef, Lamb
http://shop.fordhallfarm.com/animalsbeef/

Our free range cattle graze on our chemical free herbal pastures through winter and summer with no other feed (otherwise known as Foggage Farming). All Herefords and Aberdeen Angus, our traditional herd is hardy and accustomed to living outdoors.

Our flock of sheep, like the cattle, live entirely off our traditional chemical free pastures. Our natural woodlands provide all the shelter they could need and our spring fed pools have a ready supply of fresh water. Rotation of these lush pastures also helps to protect them from health problems and so veterinary intervention is only used in the rare emergency

http://www.fieldandflower.co.uk
Beef

Traditionally, Home Farm has reared Hereford cattle due to their quiet temperament and the quality of their meat. The farm keeps a small suckler herd of cows, which conceive and give birth naturally once a year. Calves run at their mothers’ feet until about eight months of age. Once the cattle are weaned, they are fed solely on grass and forage, grazing in clover-rich pastures all year round.This particular breed is slaughtered at no earlier than 26 months of age, which also ensures very flavoursome beef. The cattle travel to the local abattoir, only minutes away, ensuring a stress-free end of life.

Our beef is dry-aged (hung on the bone) for a minimum of four weeks. This is to ensure a very high level of tenderness. Hanging for this long, in this way, is a technique supermarkets simply cannot match. Attributes of our Hereford beef include high levels of marbling, giving that melt-in-the-mouth sensation, and an abundance of deep, rich flavours developed through a grass and forage diet. Our traditional cattle breed is slow-maturing and thrives on a natural grass and forage diet. Studies have shown that cattle reared in this way produce much higher levels of omega-3 and poly-unsaturated fats than when reared intensively. We therefore take pride in our beef being tasty, tender and fresh.The beef you order from field&flower has been carefully managed to ensure a low carbon footprint. The total distance from our farm to abattoir, and abattoir to butcher is only eight miles.

Lamb

Our lamb is raised by one farmer and son on a farm in the Mendip hills a few miles away from our butchery in North Somerset. They farm traditional breed lamb that are born and raised outdoor on the hills all year round, feeding on grass and haylage.

Beef, lamb, pork
http://www.greenpasturefarms.co.uk

All our meat is reared ethically, fed its natural diet, and allowed to roam freely in the green pastures of Pendle.
Although our meat is not certified as organic (in order to keep the cost economical), we use no herbicides, pesticides or chemical fertilisers on our fields, nor do we give our animals and unnatural feed or routine administrations of drugs.
Our cows and sheep simply graze the lush grass on the hills, and our free range pigs and chickens are allowed to roam and forage till their hearts content.
All of our meat is slaughtered at a local abattoir less than 10 miles away, and they are never mixed with other animals form other farms.

Beef, lamb
http://www.eversfieldorganic.co.uk/

All beef and lamb has to be solely fed on a grass fed diet. This ensures it matures at a slow rate giving you excellent marbling and omega 3 content.

All cattle must be kept outside during the spring and summer/Autumn months and brought into large spacious barns for the winter months. All our beef and lamb is 100% grass fed and not finished off on any grain or cereals. Sheep graze all year round apart from when we bring them in during lambing. All our pigs are bred and reared outdoors. The chicken is all corn fed and left to roam freely.

Beef, jerky
http://www.athleat.co.uk/sunday-roast.html

We never treat our beef cattle with hormones, steroids or antibiotics. You can rest assured that you are receiving the healthiest gourmet grass fed beef available.

QUESTION: Are your cattle ever fed grain?

No, our cattle are grass fed and grass finished.

Raw Dairy
http://www.red23.co.uk/Raw-Unpasteurised-Dairy_c_60.html?osCsid=fba6d13d783a0074c63a2632791a8627

Our Raw, Unpasteurised milk from healthy Grass fed cows couldn’t be more different. Our Raw, Unpasteurised, Organic, Biodynamic Cow’s milk is one of natures finest foods; delicious, creamy and very easy to digest

Glaucus · 17 Jan 2013 at 06:43

Ithe lamb is cheaper enough, but would anyone be interested in doing the shared box scheme from http://www.greenpasturefarms.co.uk/...hole-free-range-pig-pastured-rare-breed-pork/
For either the pig or cow.

Emailed a lot of other places like hookandson as they don't go into enough detail about their cattle, so could possibly have another half dozen to add, depending on response.
It would be nice if the bison farm met these strict criteria, but I might just buy some anyway.

Glaucus · 19 Jan 2013 at 15:22

Thanks, ill add that to op.

Had an email back from chestnut meats, the place I was looking for goat, they'r hay & corn fed over winter, grass in summer.

Glaucus · 19 Jan 2013 at 19:29

I think food hall is very reasonable, especially the 10% off when you bulk buy mince/cubed.

Mince bulk is £6.74 a kilo
Diced stewing steak bulk is £6.56 a kilo

For comparison
Tesco everyday mince is £3.12
Tesco beef mince £5.34
Tesco steak mince £8

"High end meat" like rib joint
At the counter in tesco it is £16 per kilo
Food hall £12.69

So depends what you usually buy stuff, nothing will ever compete with the everyday range.

And yes, the more I read up, the more I belive we've been mislead for the last ~50 years with health advice based on epidemiological data with loads of groups outside the supposed trend at best and some of it like the original link with cholesteol was just a plain lie.

Statins are the new rubbish, actual clinical trials show it only works for a tiny portion of the public, iirc a certain group of men. Yet it's being pushed for everyone. Despite its downsides.

I shall email laverstoke for confirmation

Glaucus · 19 Jan 2013 at 22:56

Pasteurised so not suitable for this thread.

Glaucus · 1 Feb 2013 at 16:13

roll on Friday, that will give me such a wide range of meats, still got half the game box left from last month.

Glaucus · 14 Feb 2013 at 12:21

Thanks, can't see what milk they use, I'll email them(ie, what they feed them in the winter). However ordered anyway see how good it is.

1 x Parmesan Wedge 170g = £3.20
1 x Blue - Draycott Blue Wedge *185g = £2.95
1 x Smoked Cheddar Wedge 185g = £2.20
1 x Extra Mature Traditional Cheddar 230g = £3.70

Glaucus · 20 Feb 2013 at 13:44

The smoked Cheddar is lovely.

The unpasturised traditional cheddar is odd. I don't know if all unpasturised ones taste/texture like this. Or just this one.
It's much softer, creamier. And has a blue cheese undertone. Not sure I'm a fan tbh.

Glaucus · 20 Feb 2013 at 19:09

http://www.fieldandflower.co.uk
Beef

Traditionally, Home Farm has reared Hereford cattle due to their quiet temperament and the quality of their meat. The farm keeps a small suckler herd of cows, which conceive and give birth naturally once a year. Calves run at their mothers’ feet until about eight months of age. Once the cattle are weaned, they are fed solely on grass and forage, grazing in clover-rich pastures all year round.This particular breed is slaughtered at no earlier than 26 months of age, which also ensures very flavoursome beef. The cattle travel to the local abattoir, only minutes away, ensuring a stress-free end of life.

Our beef is dry-aged (hung on the bone) for a minimum of four weeks. This is to ensure a very high level of tenderness. Hanging for this long, in this way, is a technique supermarkets simply cannot match. Attributes of our Hereford beef include high levels of marbling, giving that melt-in-the-mouth sensation, and an abundance of deep, rich flavours developed through a grass and forage diet. Our traditional cattle breed is slow-maturing and thrives on a natural grass and forage diet. Studies have shown that cattle reared in this way produce much higher levels of omega-3 and poly-unsaturated fats than when reared intensively. We therefore take pride in our beef being tasty, tender and fresh.The beef you order from field&flower has been carefully managed to ensure a low carbon footprint. The total distance from our farm to abattoir, and abattoir to butcher is only eight miles.

Lamb

Our lamb is raised by one farmer and son on a farm in the Mendip hills a few miles away from our butchery in North Somerset. They farm traditional breed lamb that are born and raised outdoor on the hills all year round, feeding on grass and haylage.

And it looks like they can get me chicken hearts

, I've used these guys many times before and the service is always good. A bit more expensive than the others. But James is very helpful and if you want a particular cut, they can almost certainly supply it.

We use two chicken farmers, one who farms in Radstock who has an extensive free range system where the birds are cared for in small flocks at half of the legal stocking density. They don’t use any artificial fertilisers and are fed on a varied diet of meadow grass, homegrown cereals and locally milled feeds. Our organic chicken farmer raises his birds on the same farm as our butchery and hatches his chicks in the shed next door to us. Here is their website with more info: http://thestorygroup.co.uk/thefood.html