Aireys Farm Shop, quality meat in Cumbria
All About Lakeland Herdwick Sheep
We are offering you as a consumer who cares about the Lake District the chance to purchase a whole or half Herdwick lamb or shearling. As well as enjoying a unique taste sensation, you can contribute to the future of this special area.
Lakeland Herdwick Availability
Lakeland Herdwick lamb is a unique seasonal product available from January through to June. At the start of the season, the lambs are lighter but mature into heavier weights by March.
A number of farmers keep their lambs for a further year, and these older 'shearlings' are available in limited numbers all year round. Shearlings are renowned for having a distinctive taste and are larger than the younger lambs.
Herdwick sheep are renowned for their extreme hardiness.
The farms, many of them bequeathed to the National Trust by Beatrix Potter and by the Friends of the Lake District, have typically less than 100 acres of lower, more productive land and rely on the common grazings of the high Lake District fells. The lambs graze with their mothers on the 'heaf' belonging to that farm, instilling a lifelong knowledge of where on the fell they should be grazing.
The appearance of the Herdwick is also unique. The adult sheep have a distinctive grey fleece, white heads and sturdy white legs. The lambs are born black and remain dark in the first years of their life. They look, and are, an ancient breed.