Sussex farm beefs up its reputation

A West Sussex farm is bolstering consumer confidence in meat by offering local, grass-fed produce direct to customers.

Butterbox Farm is selling a selection of exclusive meat boxes from its premises near Haywards Heath, which covers more than 380 acres.

By supplying direct to individual customers and restaurants, the farm hopes to restore confidence in British meat after a series of supermarket scandals have left people wondering about the origin and quality of their food.

“There have been some disturbing headlines about British meat in recent years,” says Pat Garratt, whose grandfather Reggie Mason bought Butterbox Farm nearly a century ago. “There’s been the horsemeat scandal as well as recurring concerns about animal cruelty and the chemicals which are used in farming.”

Meat customers collecting their home-reared meat are encouraged to visit their 270 acres of grassland to see the way animals are treated, tour the premises and ask any questions.

“We like people to see our animals and take pride that they can rest assured the food on their plate is exactly how nature intended,” says Peter Froggatt, Farm Manager. “All our calves suckle their mums until they’re ready to be naturally weaned at around nine months old.

“Our grass-reared method means we know exactly what the animals are eating; they go out in our fields or in big open space barns for winter and have our home-produced hay and silage. As it takes a lot longer to finish rearing and without any manufactured concentrate feeds, the meat has time to naturally develop a better depth of flavour too.”

The farm’s boxes are filled with home-reared meat, either beef, lamb, mutton, or hogget – a lesser-known meat taken from a sheep aged between one and two years, which is becoming more popular.

Peter says that the main attraction, however, is the farm’s Dexter cattle: “The Dexters are a more unusual choice. They are in fact the smallest breed of cattle in the UK. The beef is considered by several top chefs to be better than many other breeds due to its delicate marbling, darker meat and fine texture. All these factors and a minimum of 28 days hanging help to produce the fuller flavour.  A frequent comment from our customers is that it is “beef as it used to taste”.

“A few years ago, it was hard to come by as Dexters were still a rare breed, but Pat and her late husband John did a great deal of work protecting and breeding cattle for future generations. It’s a great honour that the farm gets to be a part of the Dexter’s long history, and it’s wonderful to know they can now be enjoyed for years to come.”

–end– 21 March 2018