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Latest News - June 2010
With a special farmer’s market this month in honour of Prince Charles’ visit to Perth, our hens were priming themselves for eggs fit for royalty. We have never seen quite so many double-yokers! Unfortunately for those hens keen to climb the social ladder, Prince Charles explained to Ian that he has his own ducks and is not in need of any Gloagburn hens eggs!
News From The Farm
Speaking of hens we recently received a new batch of poulets. They arrived at 18 weeks old and now that they have reached egg laying maturity at 22 weeks they are starting to lay. Poulet’s eggs now available at only £1.25 a tray!
We know that you are interested in where your eggs come from so we will give you a brief overlay of the day in the life of a Gloagburn hen:
- 5am: Lights come on for wake up call (the early bird gets the worm)
- 5:30am: Breakfast served
- 6-9am: Lay an egg (when when when little hen?)
- 9.30am: Piece time
- 10am:Doors open for play time! And work begins on the day’s mud bath and worm catching.
- 1230: Lunch time served inside (everyone rushes for table 22 by the window!)
- 1300-2200: More play time and adventure
- 2200: Tea
- 2230: Sunset means bed time (and party time on a Saturday night!)
Our hens are fed 5 times a day with wheat grown on the farm. The wheat is mixed with soya, limestone (grit), oil and vitamins and minerals to create the perfect blend for tasty eggs and healthy hens. Here at Gloagburn we have 4,600 free range hens living between two large houses. On average a single hen will lay 6 eggs per week.
Interested in having your own hens? We have a new offer available:
Our unique ‘Packaged’ Product - Eco Hen House made from 100% Recycled Plastic (silage and fertiliser bags), plus hens that are already laying, our own special secret recipe chicken feed, an in-depth manual to get you up and running, and our email service for any help you may need. The Eco Hen House fits 3 to 6 hens in and is designed to keep your birds warm, safe and secure during all weather
types. A galvanised run can be supplied to allow your hens to roam within a safe environment and to prevent unwanted escapes. Also you have the choice of a mesh or a solid floor, the mesh floor allows for self-cleaning and saves labour.
The Hen House has a special nest box that is located on the door that swings open for very easy access to save bending or stooping into the house. The benefits are
- Easy to clean
- No Maintenance Required, no weather treatment required
- Extremely Robust No wood, prevents unwanted mites and other pests
- Easy to move
- Easy Collection of Eggs
- Your own Fresh Eggs on your doorstep!
Order today!
More farm news…
New members: You may hear our latest members of the farm before you see them. Our new Berkshire pigs are from north of Inverness and had a smooth journey to their new home at Gloagburn. Soon enough they were settled into their own pig hut before trying to kick the neighbours out of theirs! Twice they have been found sound asleep on the henhouse floor forcing the hens to settle for the perch above them!
The Berkshire is a small breed of pig but with excellent eating quality. Watch this space! Completing our new animal park we have our two Belted Galloways. The 'Belties' are a traditional breed of cattle known for their ability to survive out wintered in harsh conditions in the west of Scotland. They are a slow growing breed, which produce very tasty meat. The two we have are both 12 months old heifers (females) and will be 'introduced' to the bull next year, lucky chap!
For all those budding farmers we have new fleet of John Deere and Massey Ferguson toy tractors so the children can run their own farms for a while, while you enjoy a cup of coffee! We have also installed a new blackboard outside the shop keeping you up to date with our latest news from the farm. We want to give you a sense of farming life and what is involved each day.
News From The Shop
New Gloagburn Homemade Products: Highland Bite Shortbread, 15 mini shortbreads in a pack great for a bite with coffee or tea. Pasties: Have you tried these yet? Crammed full of goodies - pork, leek & cranberry, wild boar and apple, roasted vegetable and brie, pork and tomato chutney etc. Available fresh or frozen. Gloagburn Homemade Frozen Meals: Nutritious meals for busy people. Macaroni Cheese, Pork Cider Leek and Apple Casserole, Beef Goulash etc., all made with our own meat. We haven’t forgotten the puddings – Brandied Mincemeat and Apricot Bread and Butter Pudding, Award winning Whisky Fruit and Nut Tart, Pecan Pie, Fruit Crumbles.
These are just a few of what we produce from our kitchens. Garden Furniture: The wrought iron metal garden furniture is going very well. It adds a gentle focal feature to the garden; available are benches, chairs, and bistro style tables in the softest cream or green. Wine Collections: many of us aren’t wine connoisseurs so choosing the right wine can be tricky. For this reason we provide well presented information and the taste description you need to make a confident buy. Remember there is a 5% discount on a 12 bottle case that can be mixed so once you have found all your favourites, go for it!
Spotlight on a Product: Anster Cheese
The Stewart family have farmed at Falside for over 50 years dairy always being central to their business. In more recent times the price that farmers have received for their milk went down to such a level as to be almost unsustainable. At this point the family started to look at ways of adding value to their product. Right from the start cheese seemed an obvious option to them. They loved different cheeses and they felt if they had a passion for what they were doing they were more likely to succeed. There was nobody else in Fife making cheese from their own milk on a farm and there seemed to be a growing demand and interest in locally produced food.
A short cheese-making Course at Reading University was followed by a fact-finding trip to Wales and the South-West of England where many of Britain’s artisan farmhouse cheeses are made. During this trip, the opportunity to make cheese with Leon Downey, an award-winning cheese maker for 30 years from Wales, dispelled any remaining lingering doubts for them. Back home in Fife, the cheese project began. By late 2007 a new building was completed to house the Cheese Dairy and in January 2008 the first cheese was born.
As the cows graze all summer long on the lush pastures overlooking the May Island above the Fife fishing village of Anstruther it seemed appropriate to call the cheese Anster. Anster cheese is hand-made by Jane Stewart on the farm to a traditional recipe using unpasteurised milk from her husband Robert’s herd of homebred Holstein Friesian cows. This new cheese is fresh and dry, with an almost crumbly texture, which dissolves in the mouth to leave a full-flavoured finish.
We will have lots of tastings for you on this cheese plus their new one, Red Anster Garlic and Chive.
News From The Coffee Shop
Afternoon Teas Special
Spoil yourselves with a delicious afternoon tea daintily arranged on a lovely tiered stand. A wonderful assortment of mini sandwiches, scones, homemade jam and cream and cakes served with a steaming pot of tea or coffee. You would think you were in an episode of Poirot! £7.50 a head worth every penny, you won’t have room for anything else.
Soup and Sandwich
A special offer for weekdays, a bowl of soup served with half a sandwich with your own choice of filling. A perfect lunch combination for only £5.95.
Edinburgh’s Innis and Gunn Oak Aged Beer
Now being served in the café, a Pale Ale, Original and Blonde. Their beer is aged in oak barrels previously used for mature bourbon. The flavours imparted from the barrels gives the beer a depth of taste, think vanilla, toffee and orange aromas, with a malty, lightly oaked palate, soothing and warm in the finish.
If you have enjoyed a glass or two, take some home from the shop. We have a special offer on the boxed set of 2 beers which comes with a free Innis and Gunn logo glass.
Take Away Catering
Now that the weather is improving and we are coming out of hibernation it’s time to start getting together with friends and family and have some fun! We know how busy people are and the thought of entertaining might be too much. Allow us to help! Come in and have a chat about your requirements. We can give you suggestions and prices, from bowls of salads to quiches, main meals, puddings, wines and cheese boards. All that is left is for you to pull up at the door and collect your orders!
Now how simple is that we ask!
Opening times: We are open daily all year round January to December Shop: 9.00am – 5.30pm Café: 9.00am – 5.30pm (last orders from the kitchen 5pm)
Gloagburn Farm Café and Shop,
Tibbermore,
Perth PH1 1QL
Tel. 01738 840864
Email: ian_niven@btconnect.com
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