BUY UK LAMB ONLINE FROM GILLGATE LAMB
Buy lamb and mutton from a traditional Yorkshire Dales Hill farm.
The Bell family at Gillgate and farming methods
Gillgate is a traditional Yorkshire Dales upland / hill farm originally farmed by James Scarr in the 1800's then farmed by his son Edward, followed by his daughter Mary and husband Steve Bell. Gillgate is now run by their sons Bruce and Stephen Bell and grandson James, who still follow many of James Scarr's original methods of farming sheep.
As with many farms in the area Gillgate is a mixed dairy and sheep farm. The herd of 80 Friesian cows produce milk for the production of Wensleydale cheese in the local market town of Hawes (find out more about Wensleydale cheese >>). The sheep flock is based upon 1000 pedigree Swaledale ewes.
The Swaledale is England's most popular Hill breed, renowned for its hardiness and ability to survive and rear lambs on the high moors, fells and dales of the Pennines.
The flock is split into two; the young ewes up to 5 or 6 years old are kept purebred and mated with pedigree Swaledale tups (rams). These young sheep spend most of their lives high up on 'Stags Fell', un-fenced, open heather moorland. Only coming down to better 'in-bye' grazing during 'tupping' time in the autumn, to lamb in the spring and for shearing during the summer. Female or 'gimmer' lambs are kept for breeding and the very best tup lambs are also kept to be sold as pedigree tups. The remaining lambs are sold for meat.
The 'older' half of the flock are cross-bred with a Blue-faced Leicester tup to produce a North of England Mule. To ensure these older sheep stay fit and healthy they graze better quality land slightly lower down the hill, where the environment is not as harsh. As with the pure bred Swaledales it is only the male lambs that are reared for meat, for the female mule makes an excellent mother and they are sold to lowland farms further south for breeding.
A small number of mules are kept and crossed with a Texel tup, these ewes graze the lowest lying meadows and produce big meaty lambs early in the summer.
The management of the sheep is based on traditional methods of hill and upland farming.
The following is a brief summary of the year.
March & April: Lambing time, the ewes are brought down to the lowest ground and farm buildings where they are fed hay, sugar beet, energy and protein supplements for a few weeks. This ensures the young lambs get the best possible nutrition from their mothers.
May: The ewes and lambs return to graze the hills.
July: Hay is made from the low lying meadows and the first lambs are ready for sale.
August: The ewes are shorn and towards the end of the month lambs are weaned off their mothers.
September & October: Breeding sales of gimmer lambs and Swaledale tups.
November: The ewes are brought back down for tupping before returning to the hills for winter.
December-Feburary: The ewes stay on the hills being fed Hay during periods of snow
