06 July 2007, 13:44 PM
  • The Moorlands Farm Shop, which is run by the Sargent family and located on the Fishleigh Estate, in Okehampton, has now made its meat available to the restaurant and hotel trade.

The farm shop, which specialises in organic meat sourced from the estate and organic farms in the area, has its own certified organic butcher who prepares orders.

“The meat we sell is mostly from our own farm, but we also source from accredited farms nearby. We vet all the farms and farmers and hand-pick the animals, so we can guarantee absolute traceability and quality,” says Gemma Sargent.
 
“Our customers can have total confidence in where their meat has come from and can relate to the conditions under which it has been produced.”

The estate, which has been the chosen location for the TV wildlife programme, Springwatch, on the BBC last June, has been in the hands of the Sargent family since 1998. The Sargents and their team are custodians of their land and farming is at the heart of their business: all the livestock on the estate is destined for the table, directly via the farm shop. Fishleigh Estate is home to a herd of pedigree Red Devon cattle and a mixed flock of sheep - mainly Dorset Cross and Suffolk. These animals are slowly reared in small herds on natural diets, which ensures the high standard of the meat.

Humane slaughter is also important to the Sargents and the animals are sent to a small abattoir, just five miles from the farm, to minimise stress and to keep food miles low.

The meat is also available to consumers who can order meat boxes starting at £38. These contain a prime organic roasting joint, organic beef steaks, organic lean minced beef, award-winning free range pork sausages, dry-cured bacon, chops or steak and a seasonal surprise.