cumbria's herdwick lambs...

April is the month to come to Cumbria if you want to see the beautiful lambs at their youngest. With the high fells and wet conditions, it takes a hardy breed to flourish in our county. Herdwick, the distinctive Lakeland sheep, have black lambs that then fade to chocolate brown eventually greying as they age. Herdwick farms generally have relatively little acreage as far as lower land, and rely on the common grazing areas of the higher Lake District fells The lambs learn from their mothers the area of the fell they should be grazing.

Herdwick lambs are usually over a year old before they are mature enough for meat and this growing time makes them relatively expensive to produce, but the difference it makes to the meat is amazing. Because the lambs mature slowly eating the heather and grass on the fells, the meat is tight in texture, tender and has a lot more flavour than other lamb. You can buy this wonderful meat directly from the farms producing it, such as Yew Tree Farm in Coniston, or from one of the farm shops, such as Low Sizergh Barn outside Kendal. Recently, Cranstons, the Cumbrian chain of meat and fine food shops, decided to sell Herdwick lamb in all their shops across northern Cumbria, due to the increasing demand for this beautiful meat.