Sustainable Hill Farming on the North York Moors

Locally distinctive and sustainably produced fresh foodstuffs have become much more important as food tastes have changed, the Slow Food Movement has developed, and awareness about the need for sustainable development has grown.

Wenslydale may be famous for its cheese; Whitby for its Cod and Haddock; Lincolneshire for its sausages; and Cornwall for its pasties.

But have you heard of, or ever eaten "Shearling"?

I bet not!

Shearling is the locally-distinctive sheep meat that is unique to the North York Moors. 

Shearling sheep and the meat they produce are grown nowhere else but on the Moors that surround Rosedale.

So let me explain about "Shearling" and why you should eat it when here!

Like lambs across most of Britain, male lambs which are usually born around March on the North York Moors are typically castrated. They're then known as "Wethers"

But in other parts of Britain, the Wethers are fattened up, slaughtered and sold in shops as "spring lamb" within their first year.

But Shepherds on the North York Moors do things differently.

They have long-known that Wethers benefit from an extra year of slow growth and living free on the varied plants found only on the high Moors - including bog myrtle, bilberries, and moorland grasses.

So our local Wethers are returned to the Moors and this extra year of roaming free and rough grazing on the high land transforms the Wethers into Shearlings.

Shearling sheep are males between 18 and 23 months of age, which prduce meat that is neither lamb nor mutton.

And the meat of our local Shearlings has a most unique and distinctive flavour, which is very different to that of the meat of ordinary grass-fed animals you'll find in supermarkets.

Its also healthier than "spring lamb" - high in Omega 3 oils and has lots of Vitamin E - and the finer marbling of fat in moorland shearlings makes superb-tasting meals.

But taste is not the only reason that Shearling is fabulous.  Raising sheep to be Shearlings is also a highly sustainable farming pracice for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the sheep roam freely on the open high heather moorland and are visited daily by their Shepherd.

Sheep grazing on the heather and plants of the moorland is a very efficient way to produce nutritious food from land which is unsuitable for growing any other crops.

Secondly, raising Shearlings on the high moors contributes to the beauty of our locally-distinctive landscape.

It also helps to maintain the the Swaledale breed of sheep and traditional hill farming methods and the local economy.

Thirdly, food miles are kept to a minimum because the sheep are born, raised and slaughtered right here on the Moors. 

Transportation impacts are minimized as the Shearlings are taken as directly as possible to slaughter in Danbydale.

Fourthly, the meat is hung and packed by the Camphill Community at Botton Village; providing much needed local jobs to folks living in this special community.

You won't find shearling meat in a supermarket; it is only stocked by a few local butchers; which is one reason that meat has never been widely sampled outside the moors.

So for those reasons, Shearling has a very low carbon footprint, and its unique method of production in the North York Moors is helping to preserve our distinctive ecosystem, provide jobs, and maintain our local economy. .

During your holiday to the North York Moors, I hope you become passionate about the taste, health, and environmental benefits of Shearling.

There are all sorts of good reasons that say this is the sort of meat we should be eating.