At West Ilkerton the emphasis is on responsible farming using local breeds of sheep and cattle. The welfare of our animals, and the conservation of our beautiful farm and its varied wildlife, are very important considerations in everything we do. Exmoor Horn sheep and Devon 'Red Ruby' cattle have been farmed in an unbroken line at West Ilkerton for centuries. These old-fashioned, slow-maturing breeds are ideally suited to the robust Exmoor environment and our traditional style of farming. The animals eat grass during the summer and home-grown hay or silage during the winter. Occasionally some animals (for example the ewes before lambing) are fed carefully selected cereal-based feed when grass alone can't supply the energy they need to stay healthy.

With the exception of rams and bulls (which have to be bought from elsewhere to prevent in-breeding) all the sheep and cattle on the farm are born and raised at West Ilkerton.

Our aim is to produce top-quality grass-fed meat from animals which have been reared as naturally as possible. They are kept in stable social groups, and have minimal stress throughout their lives. An important aspect of this is that we personally transport our animals to the local abattoir, which is about 12 miles away.

Exmoor Horn lamb	Devon cattle

The meat is then hung in the traditional manner, to maximise its tenderness and taste, before being cut and packaged by a master butcher according to the requirements of each individual customer.

Please see The Farm page to find out more about our cattle and sheep.

Our Farm Tours are an ideal way to find out first-hand about our animals.

For more information about Exmoor Horn sheep, please see www.exmoorhornbreeders.co.uk

For more information about North Devon cattle please see www.redrubydevon.co.uk

Please CONTACT US for orders and more information