Five Belties
The New Year saw the arrival of five new additions to our Kirkfell family. Prince, Ptolemy, Parsnip, Polyphemus and Gordon. They are Belted Galloways, a native breed suited to all year round outdoor life on our steep fell. All castrated boys at 18 months old they are a smaller breed with a thick double coat that feed on our species rich grassland. They are good natured, friendly and love a scratch.
We have enjoyed hosting sheep and cattle on our land in the past but this is our first foray into proper farming. We buy them once they are a year old from our neighbours in Loweswater and grow them on until they are ready for the food chain where they will be sold in the local farm shops in Embleton and Rheged. Hard though that is to imagine, the only way to preserve these rare breeds is to eat them. Without a market for the beef the breed will die out.
The thick double coats of our Belties keep them warm in the coldest of winds. Rather than building a layer of fat on the outside of their body like cattle overwintered inside, their fat is marbled throughout the meat giving it a higher quality.
Our Famous Five will be with us for a while yet. For those of you visiting this year, make sure you make time to walk up and over the How and say hello.
