Of the 500 or so lambs sent for
slaughter each year (to Chippenham in Wiltshire), about 300 are
returned to Cholderton for sale locally by the Estate. This is
a real ‘cottage’ enterprise, with orders taken by
phone at the Estate office and the meat distributed by Estate
staff.
Hampshire down sheep have long
been recognised for rapid growth and the excellent flavour of
their lamb. A recent breed promotion has resulted in a huge amount
of interest by customers of selected butcher's shops, many asking
specifically for Hampshire down lamb. A leading supermarket chain
has stated that they wish to have half of all their lambs sired
by Hampshire ram.
Beef
and pork from the Estate are also sold.
Meat sales are a successful and
growing enterprise, so much so that a farm shop is planned for
the near future. The quality of the Estate’s meat is already
well known locally and, as the Estate is now certified organic,
there is no doubt that sales will grow.
