Cumbria has a lot to be thankful for - its awe-inspiring landscapes, including two World Heritage Sites, famous wordsmiths and of course its dedicated and passionate farming families who work tirelessly to produce some of the country’s finest foods.
Lakeland Lamb is the product of a fifth-generation farming family whose business in the Wasdale Valley dates back as far as 1875. Historically, Ian Knight’s family farmed a variety of livestock and crops, but now at the heart of their business is the breeding and rearing of premium lamb from Herdwick Sheep and cross-bred Herdwick-Continental breeds.
Having farmed for almost 140 years in the Wasdale Valley, the family made the move 10 years ago to nearby Stephney Farm, at Calder Bridge. Ian’s parents were retiring from running their camping and caravan site and had no one to take it on. With the loss of income from the tourism sector and the reduction in the subsidies they previously had from fell and upland grazing, the family needed to consider a range of ways to boost the farm income.
New location and partnership with Booths
The move provided the farm with higher-quality land, and was a turning point in the development of their business. While the change in location meant they needed to adapt their farming practices, the desire to continue producing Herdwick lamb remained through the sourcing of stock from farms in the surrounding valleys, and they were able to establish what has become a long-standing partnership with supermarket chain Booths.
“About 12 – 13 years ago there were a greater number of hill farmers involved with the supplying of Herdwick lamb to Booths,” says Ian. “For a variety of reasons, this wasn’t proving successful for both Booths and the local farmers. I took the opportunity to pitch my business idea to Booths in which I would work with the local farmers to purchase lamb from them to be finished on my farm, with the aim to produce a more even standard of lamb that would fulfil the high specification Booths has. This has continued to develop, becoming more successful and our partnership has strengthened since.”
Ian explained that they have been encouraged to look for alternative income streams by Armstrong Watson and when it comes to the various enterprises his business has embarked on over the years the firm has been a great support. He said: “They have wide and detailed knowledge of the agricultural industry and this has been a key feature in helping us make the right decisions for the business.”
In the last decade the family has diversified in a variety of ways to maximise the success of the business, including breeding and rearing continental breeds predominantly for the high-end European market. They have also used these breeds to cross with the traditional Herdwick draft ewe to produce the Lakeland Lamb, and for the past two years have supplied this to Booths butchery counters as well as the Herdwick lamb they already supplied.
Ian’s confidence in the success of Lakeland Lamb continues to grow. He has increased his flock to meet demand, using his expertise to select suitable Herdwick draft ewes to breed with his pure Beltex tups. The production of Lakeland Lamb has completed the annual cycle of supplying lamb from the Lake District to Booths meat counters all year round. It is sold from November to January – bridging the gap between the Herdwick Lamb they supply from January to May, and Saltmarsh lamb supplied by other farmers from June to October.
Family's passion for farming
Aside from sheep farming, the family has also changed its cattle enterprise over the last few years. They have dispersed their 140-herd of Belgian Blue suckler cows and are now building up a herd of Limousin cattle.
With more than 1,000 sheep to look after including 650 breeding Beltex ewes, 120 Pure Dutch breeding ewes, and about 300 breeding draft Herdwick ewes – as well as 100 cattle -running the farm requires the whole family to do their bit. Ian has the help of his partner Kate, who is also a full-time secondary school teacher, children Joe, 11, Seren, two, and Elin, one, plus his parents Ruth and Alan.
With the farm’s long history and its more recent successes, Ian and Kate’s hope is that their children will one day take over the business, ensuring its longevity for many more generations to come.
Kate said: “We are just caretakers of the land for the next generation. Joe helps after school most nights and on weekends, he has his own small flock of sheep and is an active member of the local Young Farmers’ Club. Seren and Elin are collected every afternoon by their dad and go to feed ‘daddy’s baas’ on the way home. We are sure that this lambing time, all three of them will be found in the lambing shed either petting and feeding the pet lambs or in the thick of helping out with any lambs that need delivering.
She continued: “We love being part of a farming family with such a long history, as each generation has shaped the farm and the landscape uniquely into what we have today. Our past and our presence have created these exciting foundations for the future, which will hopefully continue and evolve for many years to come.”
Jonathan York, Accounting Director at Armstrong Watson, has followed Ian and his family throughout their journey and admires what they have been able to achieve. He said: “Ian recognises that farming is going through a period of significant change and upheaval and he saw an opportunity to promote Herdwicks and subsequently Lakeland Lamb – and he did it in a way that had a positive impact on his business. He is very switched-on and forward-thinking. He’s very passionate about what he does and he’s keen to promote sustainability in terms of rearing high-quality lamb that is produced locally, purchased locally and consumed locally. It will be great to see this continue for years to come.”
