December is upon us, dark nights draw in and the festive lights decorate and illuminate our local villages. Christmas markets feature mulled wine, sweets, treats and of course plenty of cheese! Also this month Sunday Hill Farm is delighted to welcome the most adorable Hereford calves.
Here in Brinkworth we are surrounded by dairy herds, producing the milk to add to our tea, pour over our cereal but also to produce cream, yogurt and cheeses. Our farmland is wet, clays and best only for pastureland for summer grazing. Further south, our neighbouring villages such as Pewsey, Avebury and Devizes boast dry chalky down land. This difference in farmland historically generated the old saying ‘ as different as chalk and cheese’.
Some of the Wiltshire diary herds are producers of the cheese supplied by Athelstan Farm Foods. One of those diaries is Woefuldane Organic Dairy at Minichinhampton.
Family farmers Melissa and Jonathon, with son Henry and daughter Olivia, run an organic dairy herd. The diary heifers are crossed with a Hereford bull to produce beef calves to provide an additional farm income.
We have purchased 12 calves to rear here at Sunday Hill Farm. 4 beautiful heifers and 8 chunky bull calves. Our small herd is just the start of a potential new enterprise. At only 4-5months, these calves have got a lot of eating and growing to do! Housed in our barn, they are looked after by our good friends and neighbouring farmer Jack Newbury and his grandparents – Geoffrey and Angela Vines.
This exchange is just a small part of what is an enormous farming community. Remember to support your support your local farmers this Christmas.
For our local followers, pick up your copy of Wiltshire Life and turn to page 48 to read a fantastic article by Simon Heptinstall – The Philosophy of the Cheese Supplier. In this wonderful article, Sophie is interviewed by the food writer and talks about the development of Athelstan Farm Foods over the last 2 years.
From us all at Sunday Hill Farm, we wish our farmers, suppliers and customers a very Happy Christmas and best wishes for a prosperous New Year!