And just like that ... we are halfway through the year, and with that, some very welcome sunshine!
Thankfully, just in time for the warmer weather our rather woolly sheep have had their hair cut. Two shearers arrived early one morning at the beginning of the month and made light work of our 200 head flock. It is such a lovely sight – seeing all the livestock, peacefully grazing in the fields, both sheep and cattle still with their young at heel.
Some other tiny faces have arrived on the farm with the birth of several new litters of Tamworth piglets. It won’t be long until they are large enough to venture out into the woodland with the rest of the drove.
Farming contractors have been making the most of the better weather, managing to cut, bale and store the silage ready for Winter. The new grass that grows through after mowing will then be good and fresh for the animals to graze on.
The Farm management team are busy planning a grazing strategy for the future as we look to develop our livestock. The pastures themselves will benefit from this exercise as it allows smaller patches of land to be grazed little and often. This keeps worm numbers low and natural nutrients levels high.
Over to Battlefield 1403 and more exciting new ventures! After lots of planning, the ‘Tack Room’ takeaway kiosk is OPEN and has seen a very successful initial few weekends already. It is perfectly situated in our courtyard for customers to grab a quick coffee, or somewhere to bring the children for a run around and an ice cream treat.
On the 9thJune we saw the return of our ‘Open Farm Sunday’ event. A free day out which is aimed to bring our community together and to show off some of what we do on the farm. Alongside machinery and animals, we were joined by Wrekin Forest School, the Corbet Household reenactment group, local craft stalls, Rea Valley tractors, Shropshire Brass ensemble, face painting, Shropshire Farm Vets and lots more, it really was a fantastic day, so a huge thank you to all who came to support.
Sparrow's Café Summer menu launched on 26th June which sees an assortment of lighter Summer dishes. You can find tasty salads, more open sandwiches & delicious seasonal cakes, all of course sit alongside our menu favourites like the widely loved Beef & Salopian Ale pie and our traditional Rarebit. You can view the menu on our website.
Tickets for our Summer Supper Club have also just gone on sale for the 14th August. If you are a foodie who enjoys a little culinary mystery, this evening is certainly for you. Our team of talented chefs plan and create 5 surprise courses themed around in-season, local produce. Tickets are inclusive of a welcome cocktail and can be purchased here.
We’ll be posting updates to let you know what else is happening over the coming weeks, so please keep visiting the website.
In the meantime, keep enjoying the sun and I look forward to welcoming you on site soon.
