Hampton Estate Naturally Reared Newsletter November 2021
Festivities and jollifications will hopefully abound this Christmas and here at Hampton we suspect that for many the conviviality will revolve around food and drink. This certainly resonates with our own plans and very luckily, we can definitely help with the former, and play a bit part with the latter. Our Christmas Beef Day is on FRIDAY 3rd DECEMBER, and we have superb stocks of the best pasture fed, pedigree, 21 day hung beef from our Hampton beef herd for you to order.
Rather than describe every cut, joint, side, and rib of beef at length we all urge you to click on the link to our new revamped website www.hamptonestate.co.uk and look at our product list, our regenerative farming ethos, and a grand picture of all our team. There are photos to enjoy, words to read, and any feedback you would like to give us will be gratefully received. Zap around, but also email Helen with your order as soon as you possibly can. Already we have almost one whole cow sold!
Back to food. Will and Paul are out culling deer, and we will have really good supplies of venison for the festive season. Our venison tasting evening back in August was such a delight and we know just how many converts we have to delicious, totally wild, naturally reared venison fillet, haunch, steak, diced and mince. And on the subject of game, we will also have a limited number of fresh pheasant to roast. Please send over your order.
Don’t forget the Hampton bangers and this year we have asked Simon our butcher to create the Hampton Champion Chipolata as well as the outstanding Hampton Herbies and Hampton Beef Bangers. Again, just add them to your order.
Very sadly Hampton Special Beef Pies are NOT on the menu this Christmas as Robyn our expert pie maker has been struck down with Covid and we all wish her a speedy and complete recovery. We all miss you, (and the pies).
On the drink front we are delighted to help and can announce that our December 3rd Beef Day will also involve some fine local producers with their wares. We are so pleased to welcome back very local Greyfriars Vineyard and delicious Nibbs Gin both of whom will be offering tastings and taking orders. The Cold Pressed Oil Company will have good stocks of their tasty rape seed oils and Fine Feather Press will be selling their wonderful nature books including all the latest editions. Anne-Marie of Flamingo Paperie will have cards, paper and labels to complete the Christmas wrapping and local author and beef customer Alexine Crawford will be selling her latest epic novel. It will be quite a party.
We will be open from 10.30am to 3.30pm on Friday 3rd December and really looking forward to seeing everyone who can make it, especially if you have ordered Hampton produce! We are thinking up a culinary special for everyone to eat on the day and without doubt the Big Green Egg will be fired up and cooking.
For anyone who can’t collect on the day or who would like more stalls and have more presents to buy, Myrtle’s Courtyard Christmas Fair is the following day. This takes place on the estate at Myrtle’s Courtyard and we can have your order ready for you to collect there instead of on Friday if it’s easier. Just let us know.
This remarkable year is rolling to a close and we 100% extoll the virtues of local food, local drink, and local provenance in all things. We are sure that we can help and hope to see you here on the 3rd December. PLEASE order as soon as possible to avoid any disappointment and Helen is here as ever to take orders and coordinate; helenjackson@hamptonestate.co.uk.
Very best wishes
Bill and Bridget
Hampton Estate Naturally Reared Newsletter October 2021
Cake baking, biscuit making, and coffee brewing have all returned to Hampton beef days as we welcomed so many customers back to Hampton last month to pick up beef face to face. There was lots of good chat and much garden viewing and we will be repeating the day on FRIDAY 5th NOVEMBER the date of our next beef collection day. Fingers crossed for another blue skied clement autumnal day.
We really look forward to seeing everyone who is picking up beef, venison, sausages, pies and beefburgers and I thoroughly recommend putting in an early order if possible, to avoid any hint of disappointment. We will be open from 10.30am to 3.30pm.
We have an excellent assortment of beef cuts, steaks, joints, mince, and it’s that time of year when recipe books are grabbed, and big autumnal dishes are created. A carvery double rib joint really is the bee’s knees, massive flavour, fantastic gravy, delicious pasture fed beef taste and with a bottle of good Rioja is the perfect antidote to any political party annual conference. Short ribs or brisket are ideal for long slow braising or even smoking, just surround the joint with potatoes, carrots, beetroot and some rosemary and thyme and Bob’s your uncle. Give the dish five or six hours for all those flavours to meld together. Shepherd’s pies, lasagne, moussaka, big casseroles and stews are all so easy and Pasture For Life accredited beef makes all the difference. Given that Bonfire Night will be looming large don’t forget some Hampton 100% beef burgers for the fireworks party or a delicious spag bol to feed lots of mouths.
Please have a look at our website for the complete list of produce www.hamptonestate.co.uk and then email helenjackson@hamptonestate.co.uk to secure your order. Don’t forget to order Hampton Herby sausages and Hampton Beef Bangers as sausages of this quality will always come in handy and toad in the hole is a sure winner for a Tuesday supper. We will have Hampton Special Beef Pies in both family size and individual size and every month they fly off the shelves such is their popularity. They are packed with steak and surrounded by herbs thanks to the Hampton secret pie recipe known only to brilliant local pie maker Robyn.
Every month we have a wonderful selection of liver, ox tail, tongue and even heart for sale all of which is fantastically flavoursome and well worth investigating further. To a frying pan add butter and onions and after five minutes of gentle frying add the slices of liver and a couple of turns of pepper. Five minutes later you have the best supper possible and accompany with potato, carrots, cauliflower, and good English mustard. Have a go.
Our venison tasting evening back at the end of August proved a big hit and we are steadily building fresh supplies having completely sold out on the night. Hampton wild venison fillets, haunches, steaks, minced and diced are available for ordering and it’s really worth emailing Helen if you want some. The shortening evenings and darker mornings mean that there are less hours to stalk deer and replacing venison stocks is a challenge for Will and Paul.
Looking ahead, our December beef day will be on Friday 3rd December, a date for your diary, and on Saturday the 4th December the Myrtle’s Courtyard Christmas Fair returns. This will see a cornucopia of gifts, foods, drinks and stalls of all descriptions selling Christmas presents in Myrtle’s Courtyard, and your support would be really appreciated. It’s a great chance to tick off items for everyone on the present list.
Meanwhile we really look forward to receiving your beef order and then welcoming you to Hampton on Friday 5th November. Cake, tea, fresh coffee and tea will be ready for you from 10.30am.
With very best wishes
Bill and Bridget
Hampton Estate Naturally Reared Newsletter September 2021
Hampton beef is back after an August break, and we are delighted that our next beef collection day will be on FRIDAY 17th SEPTEMBER and that it WON’T be a Drive Thru. We are really pleased to return to fresh coffee, cake and biscuits in the courtyard and a chance for a chat, whilst you pick up your delicious produce. No more ‘bag drop’ or a ‘queue with a view’. Park on the drive and come straight into the courtyard.
We have lots of beef for sale and do send your order over as soon as possible. All our cuts, joints, mince, braising, steaks, and much much more are on our website page at www.hamptonestate.co.uk/shop/ and have a look to decide what you need. Perhaps some sirloin steaks or a tomahawk for a late summer barbeque, some short ribs to cook slowly over sliced onions, half a bottle of red, lots of bay and rosemary, salt and pepper and about 7 hours over a slow heat (don’t forget to brown first to seal), and a couple of kilos of mince for a very tasty lasagne. Just a thought. We have the most delicious liver and kidney all packed up and ready to go, lots of braising steak, diced steak, and there will be feather steak and flat iron steak not to mention good old rump steak. Joints will be topside, silverside, top rump and my firm favourite, brisket. Do have a look at the list and let Helen know what’s needed.
Thanks to everyone who joined us for our Venison and Hop Bine evening in August. It was great to see so many, to chat, to taste Hampton wild venison in so many incredibly delicious guises (huge thanks to chef Steve) and to watch a full-blown butchery display from Paul. The photos above provided by Ed Brydon. Pip Wines proved extremely popular, and I know that many of you braved the garden for a wander and came back with very positive comments. And we have venison for sale this month as Paul and Will are out stalking in the early mornings. There are fillets, steaks and haunches available plus some diced and minced venison but do order as soon as possible to avoid any disappointment.
Nik from Pip Wine has provided some superb wine pairing suggestions for the season. Really interesting reading and worth a trip to Manor Farm Craft Centre while out and about.
Murdoch Hill Adelaide Hills Red Blend 2017 – £19
This is light enough but brambley and structured enough for that shoulder period between summer and autumn when the evenings are still long but a sweater’s increasingly in order. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Syrah from high up in the Adelaide Hills to enjoy with a haunch of Hampton Estate venison.
I’m permanently amazed that these guys can make a German Pinot Noir this good at this price. From an old farm in the Pfalz, it is light in body but big on flavour, the perfect easygoing quaffing Pinot for autumn.
This is consistently one of the highest rated wines from Turkey, a traditional ‘Bordeaux blend’ of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot from a single vineyard in Kaynaklar near Izmir, aged in barrel for a year for that added richness and complexity. Bench that Bordeaux for an evening and try this Turkish delight for a change.
David Franz Plane Turning Right 2016 – £25
David is one of Australian wines greatest characters, and greatest winemakers. Son of the legendary Peter Lehmann, he runs the family farm and makes a series of irreverent but seriously good wines on the side. “Plane Turning Right” is a Bordeaux blend for those who turn right on an aeroplane – but don’t want to compromise on flavour. Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon from the farm in the Barossa Valley, inky dark but with a gorgeous finesse.
Klippenkop Syrah 2018 – £11.50
For a juicier, light to medium-bodied take on New World ‘Shiraz’, plump for this Robertson red from South Africa that opts for the French moniker ‘Syrah’, as increasingly winemakers do in South Africa as styles veer to the lighter, more refined side. This is soft, with charming red fruit flavour, really smooth and enjoyable.
To make even more of a trip to Manor Farm Craft Centre, Manor Farm Tea Room (recently named by Trip Advisor as No.1 café in the Farnham area) is now open daily from 10am to 4pm. Andy and his team would be delighted to welcome you inside or out for breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea.
Waggoners Campsite, our Pop Up off grid campsite open for July and August has now closed, and its been a great experience to run it over the last two months. 1193 adults camped along with 443 children and 71 well behaved dogs, taking advantage of large sized pitches, high quality compostable loos, wild showers and evening fire pits. We have been overwhelmed by the very positive feedback and reviews from everyone and now we must decide on next year’s plan.
Hampton hop picking has started and the hop bines are being brought in from the hop gardens to our oast where the hops are separated from the bines and then dried before onward transportation to our brewery customers. We also have lots of demand for decorative hop bines at this time of year which are always available from the Hampton Oast (GU10 1HP) whilst we pick. They make a lovely 365 day dried flower arrangement draped over a beam or cupboard and at £25 each it’s a steal. Do email Helen or ring if you would like to come over and pick one up (or two).
Do send through your order for beef, venison, Hampton Herby sausages and Hampton Beef Bangers as soon as possible, to helenjackson@hamptonestate.co.uk but best of all we look forward to pouring you a cup of fresh tea or coffee and seeing you face to face.
We are open from 10.30am, who will be first through the gate?
Very best wishes
Bill and Bridget
Hampton Estate Naturally Reared Newsletter July 2021
Summer beef from our 100% pasture fed accredited beef herd is available to order now, and our July beef day will be FRIDAY 16th JULY, two weeks away. We are so looking forward to seeing friends and customers for what we really really hope will be our last DRIVE THRU. Our next beef day will be after our hop harvest in September so that means two things;
1. That you have enough supplies to last you through August when we will not be having a beef day
2. That in September we will be back to coffee, cake, and a good chat in the courtyard plus a walk around the garden, fingers crossed.
And we were all delighted to see so many customers and friends at our Open Farm Sunday last weekend when over 800 visitors toured the herd, the woodlands, dug for worms, checked out Tice’s Meadow birders, oohed at the new born calves and aahed at the gundogs. There was lots and lots going on. They ate Hampton Estate salt beef rolls washed down with delicious Ringden Farm apple juice and consumed delicious Meadow Court Farm ice creams before tucking into a Manor Farm Tea Room cream tea. We were joined by an army of brilliant volunteers including The Surrey Police Cadets who parked everyone very professionally and I’m delighted to report that enjoyment levels were high all round. Feed back on social media has been quite fantastic and our visitors came from as far a field as Watford and Hastings.
It was a great opportunity to promote our Hampton beef which we very immodestly proclaimed to the very best, and now is a great time to buy some. Tomahawk steaks roared out of the cold store door last month and we have more to order this month. Feed back was particularly impressive and as barbequing is now the order of the day it’s a shame to miss out on these wonderful steaks. We have lots of everything, be it sirloin joints or steaks, prime minced beef, rump steaks and flat iron steaks, stewing steak, diced beef, a brisket for slow smoking, a silverside to turn into salt beef and then into the MOST delicious sandwiches (add gherkin, lettuce, and a little mayo) and of course a topside or top rump joint for a family roast. Just check out our website pricelist for inspiration and a complete list of cuts, steaks and joints.
But don’t forget our wild venison. It’s a winner every time and so easy to cook. I always use our gas barbeque hidden away in the bike shed for the perfect venison steak cooking. Turn on the gas and get the plate really hot, drizzle the venison with a little olive oil a good turn of salt and a bigger turn of pepper, sizzle on the barbeque for three minutes a side, max, and leave to rest for 10 minutes while you knock together a fresh salad. Venison is so healthy for you, so mouth-wateringly delicious and there are no food miles involved. Shot, butchered, packed, and sold, all on the Hampton Estate. Steaks, fillet, minced and diced are all in good supply, just order away.
For a really good read and an excellent article describing all the immense benefits of pasture reared beef and wild venison please have a look at this article in The Guardian.
Hampton Herbies were very popular at Open Farm Sunday in children’s picnic rolls and we have lots for sale on July 16th. Hampton Beef Bangers will also be available and complimented with our very popular Hampton 100% beef burgers you have a simple barbeque ready and waiting. Left over sausages make for great lunchtime sandwiches with a small dollop of English mustard and some tasty wholemeal bread.
Talking of lunchtimes, I always think that a Hampton Special Steak Pie always hits the spot and they are available for ordering. Family pies feed four, individual pies feed about three less and they are packed full of beef and hand made by Robyn locally. Make sure you stock up before the summer break.
And on 6th July Waggoners campsite at Hampton Estate opens for the months of July and August. It’s a large grassy field just off the North Downs Way, ready for tents of all descriptions where our basic facilities include composting loos, washing facilities and wild showers. There is lots of woodland to explore and the whole of Puttenham Common to roam. This is Off Grid camping at its best. We have had lots of bookings but there is still space for the adventurous, the wild at heart, and those wanting to sit by a fire pit on a balmy evening cooking Hampton beef over glowing embers. Just visit www.hamptonestate.co.uk/campsite for all the details.
Please send over your order for FRIDAY JULY 16th as soon as possible to avoid any disappointment to helenjackson@hamptonestate.co.uk and do ring us for any beef or recipe queries on 01483 810465. As mentioned earlier we sincerely hope that this will be our last DRIVE THRU beef day and that September will see us back to pre Covid conventions.
Drive through photo supplied by local photographer and writer Ed Brydon, who’s recent Pure Soil project on local, sustainable and regenerative farming, includes work made at Hampton Estate. You can see more of his work on his website: https://www.edbrydon.com/pure-soil
We look forward to seeing you on 16th July.
With very best wishes
Bill and Bridget
Hampton Estate Naturally Reared Produce Newsletter June 2021
Sun and warmth after some really good rain means that grass and hops are growing, new trees are flourishing, and it also means that it must be June and it’s time for a BEEF DAY. FRIDAY 18th JUNE is our next Beef Day and we sincerely hope that it will be our last DRIVE THRU. We have decided to keep the drive thru format until the government gives us the all clear and please have your beautifully decorated order number in the windscreen for possibly (fingers crossed) the last time.
Beef supplies are looking really good, be it sizzling steaks, wholesome ribs, juicy joints, or brilliant 100% pure beefburgers accompanied by Hampton Herby sausages. We have everything in stock and ready to order. Have a look on our website https://www.hamptonestate.co.uk/shop/naturally-reared-produce/ which directs you to our current pricelist and just order away. For inspiration I often turn to Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall where his River Cottage Meat book gives not only an excellent background to rearing and producing beef but also sections on roasting, slow cooking, fast cooking, and barbecuing. A traditionally built woodfired barbeque is so on point for 2021 and the Hampton 100% beefburger in a fresh locally baked bap with mayo and salad is perfect for every member of the family.
I am also pushing Hampton Estate wild venison again this month. The taste is sensational and all the wonderful attributes of pasture for life accreditation which we are so proud of for our beef, are found completely naturally in our deer. They are completely wild, have only eaten pasture/herbage from the Estate, and their travel from living in woodland to jointed in a Hampton bag is a maximum of three miles. Venison steaks, venison haunches, diced or minced venison are all so worth trying, and no one will be disappointed.
Hampton Special Steak Pies are on this month’s menu in both individual and family sizes. Last month the brilliant Robyn made 76 pies by hand, and I think that she enjoys a challenge so do place your order.
Delicious cakes, brownies and soda bread can now be ordered directly with Robyn (robyn.horsburgh@btinternet.com 07917 768005) for convenient collection on Beef Day.
As you may know we are holding Open Farm Sunday here on Sunday 27th June and looking forward to showing lots of customers, visitors and friends what goes on behind the scenes. Our theme is Regenerative Agriculture, Restorative Nature, and our story includes a wide ranging woodland experience, a practical soil health (including worm counting) investigation, and a chance to understand our breeding programme for cows and calves. Please check our website https://www.hamptonestate.co.uk/events/ for more details including booking times. And great news, there is a chance to sample our own Salt Beef Rolls when you book a special Hampton picnic for the day.
Our other newsworthy item is the opening of Waggoners Campsite, our off grid tranquil campsite open this year only to help anyone looking for a staycation in the Surrey hills. https://www.hamptonestate.co.uk/campsite/
All cows, calves and Petworth Major our bull are enjoying the wonderful grass growth around the Estate, and we still have a handful of cows to calve. We recently sold some cows, and they are enjoying pastures new, specifically at the Knepp Castle Estate which is setting up a traditional herd to compliment their wilding programme.
We really look forward to seeing everyone on FRIDAY 18th JUNE for the drive thru, the chat, the chance to catch up and the final chance (we all hope) for Will and I to put your beef bag into your car in a socially distanced way.
Please email your order to Helen helenjackson@hamptonestate.co.uk or shop@hamptonestate.co.uk and do ring to discuss any recipe queries 01483 810465.
With best wishes
Bill and Bridget
Hampton Estate Naturally Reared Produce Newsletter May 2021
Great news. Stop Press, hold the front page, yazooks, OUR PIES ARE BACK. Hampton Special Beef Pies are back on the order form for May. They come in either family size (feeds 4) or individual size (feeds 1 or at a pinch one and a mouthful for the dog but unlikely to forgo pie even for man’s best friend). They will have been lovingly prepared, baked and wrapped and are ready for collection on our next Hampton Beef Collection Day, FRIDAY 21st MAY starting at 10.30am.
This month’s carcass is already hanging in the cold store quietly maturing and everything is available. From 10kg beef bags (steak, mince, stewing steak, joints) to 4kg bags (same combo, just less of it) to your own bespoke order, say 2 packs of short ribs, a couple of sirloin steaks, a kilo of minced beef and 2 kgs of stewing, or possibly some of that sensationally delicious Osso Bucco. Alternatively, a single carvery rib, rubbed in sea salt, marinated with olive oil and wrapped in wild garlic leaves, a sure-fire winner and just so easy to cook. In short, there is beef for every occasion, every recipe and every taste and all you have to do is send over your order in the usual way.
Hampton Herby Sausages and Hampton Beef Bangers are a May must have, and a couple of packs of either squirreled away in the back of the fridge or freezer will always come in very handy, and now that Covid restrictions are beginning to ease you never know who may arrive looking hungry.
Offally good offal is so delicious. Sliced fresh liver, dropped in seasoned flour, and fried quickly in butter cannot be beaten, full of flavour and bursting with iron. It goes surprisingly well with asparagus and mashed potato. We also have ox tail (just the one), kidney and heart. These are such inexpensive ingredients and so worth using and experimenting with. Go on, be brave.
And of course, we will have good supplies of Hampton Wild Roe Deer. Congratulations to Will who passed his stalking exam with flying colours and is after bucks who are currently in season and need to keep a very low profile to avoid his careful aim. (Everyone on the farm is keeping an eye out to spot the first roe fawn and share it on the Estate WhatsApp).
Venison is such a good option: it’s naturally produced in the countryside, lives free and is harvested without stress in its own environment. Consequently, it is sustainably, ethically and naturally produced. What’s not to like? Do try roe steaks, amazingly easy to cook, just like cooking beef steaks, fast and hot, and crucially leave to rest for a good few minutes before serving. And it’s just the same for venison fillet, venison mince and diced venison. They can be used instead of prime beef for lasagnes, curries, barbeques, cassoulets, cottage pies, even spaghetti bolognaise.
Elsewhere on the farm we are hosting Open Farm Sunday on Sunday 27th June, our farm open day. Discover Hampton’s regenerative approach to farming and how we restore nature. Meet our pasture-fed cows, learn about soils and worms, explore the woodland trail, discover forest bathing, plant a tree, enjoy a farm-made picnic in the picnic paddock, and of course, sit in a tractor and toot the horn! For more information please visit our Open Farm Sunday page on the Hampton website or LEAF’s Open Farm Sunday website.
And on 5th July we open Waggoners Campsite at Hampton, our Pop Up off grid campsite just off the North Downs Way www.hamptonestate.co.uk/campsite. Guests can hire firepits which come complete with logs, kindling and matches and can barbeque to their hearts content! Do pass on the link if canvas and great views are your thing.
Friday 21st MAY is the next big day, and we really look forward to seeing you for what could be the last Drive Thru, according to the Government’s road map. Please send over your order to Helen in the usual way, helenjackson@hamptonestate.co.uk and we will make sure that its ready and waiting for you accompanied by another bunch of fresh Hampton herbs.
Our very best wishes
Bill and Bridget
Hampton Estate Naturally Reared Produce Newsletter April 2021
Our April Beef Collection Day is on the last day of the month FRIDAY 30th April and its time to leaf through the recipe book and plan something delicious with Hampton beef. It could also be the moment to dust off the barbeque and take full advantage of the Bank Holiday weekend which starts on that Friday evening. Either way we have lots of beef, venison, and sausages to assist with the planning, preparation and then the eating and savouring and the lip-smacking bit. Delicious.
We know exactly what we have for sale this month because it was all been frozen after our March Beef Day. We want our pasture fed beef to be the best, and now and then to achieve this we need to let the animals grow a bit more to reach the maturity required. As a result, occasionally we will hold a frozen Beef Day leaving our animals out in the fields for a bit longer. The meat looks spectacular and there is lots to order.
A carvery rib is the quintessential Beef of England and cooked on the bone oozes flavour and deliciousness. We have both single and double ribs ready to order, and talking of cooking on the bone, Osso Bucco, or shin on the bone cooks brilliantly (low heat for about 4 hours, garlic, onions, loads of herbs and a good dosh of white wine) and retains so much flavour. There are loads of helpful recipes for this one.
We are looking good for rump steaks, sirloins, and flat iron steak not to mention hanger and spider steaks. If you’ve never tried spider steak, also known as oyster steak, then now is the time. Oval in shape and ingrained with fat its well worth a try and cooks brilliantly. We are also blessed with good supplies of stewing steak for stews and casseroles, which could well hit the spot with a beef and Guinness stew or a family stroganoff using up the last of the root veg and a large jacket potato on the side.
We have lots of prime minced beef for your own beefburgers, cottage pies and bolognaises, plus joints galore from slow cooked briskets to silverside and topsides. I’m convinced that all Hampton joints need a good rub of salt into the meat before any type of cooking takes place, and for me, the more the better. Particularly true of my favourite short ribs which are just great, so versatile and so tasty.
Our deer control across the Estate is going well and will very soon be even better with Will taking his Deer Stalking Certificate during the month. Three days of intense course work and practical stalking plus numerous tests will reap rewards and add to his venison butchery skills. We have venison carvery haunches and ribs ready to roast and loads of venison steaks ready to barbeque. A hot barbeque, a dribble of olive oil, salt and pepper on the steak and a couple of minutes on each side will produce fabulous results. Most importantly let the meat rest, a crucial facet of venison cookery. Give the steaks at least 15 minutes rest time, wrapped in foil, and the meat will continue to cook whilst you open and try the chosen bottle of red.
Hampton Herby Sausages and Hampton Beef Bangers are in good supply but sadly I’m afraid that we will not have any pies this month. Watch out for the great pie return in May.
Calving is well under way and all has gone according to plan so far, with the exception of one boy calf who really hasn’t got the idea of suckling and we are having to bottle feed every few hours. Hopefully, he will soon be up on his feet and drinking from his mum, which is a far better arrangement for all involved. The new born calves will stay with their mothers for the rest of the year drinking Mum’s milk and enjoying fresh grass as soon as it grows. Every evening at about 6pm they are all spotted racing around the field testing out their new limbs in an impressive display of gambolling.
We are incredibly excited to announce that we will be taking part in this year’s Open Farm Sunday which will take place on Sunday 27th June 2021. We all felt that 2019’s Open Farm Sunday was a great success and we are planning to replicate that… save the date and keep your eyes peeled for more information.
Elsewhere on the Estate and despite the frosts the hop shoots are growing. Hop training starts in the hop gardens next week, coaxing the shoots up the strings with a little human intervention. As daylight hours and temperatures increase, they will soon be growing hard and heading towards the top wires of the garden at 16 feet high.
Away from farming, plans for our new campsite are really taking shape. Called Waggoners Campsite at Hampton Estate it will be situated just off the North Downs Way and will be popping up for a short season in summer 2021. It’s an off-grid campsite for tents only and will have the smartest compostable loos, wild washing and showering facilities, rentable fire pits for cooking and of course Hampton Camping Barbeque Bags. Further details will be posted on the website soon.
Manor Farm Craft Centre in Seale has opened back up and is ready to welcome everyone. Manor Farm Tea Rooms are serving a full menu outside and Seale Craft Shop has been restocked ready for your perusal. Pip of Manor Farm have new tables and chairs outside for a glass of vino to enjoy at all times of the day and wines, beers and spirits in store. Seale Natural Health continues to take bookings!
We all look forward to seeing you for the April Beef Collection Drive Thru on 30th April from 10.30am to 3.30 pm. We are continuing with order numbers for the time being and will pop your beef into your car as before. Please look at recipes, have a think and then email helenjackson@hamptonestate.co.uk to place your order.
Very best wishes
Bill and Bridget
Hampton Estate Naturally Reared Produce Newsletter March 2021
FRIDAY 26th MARCH is going to be our next Hampton Beef Day and Helen’s order book is now open. Please order all that you need as soon as possible so that no one is disappointed, especially with Easter coming up very soon. We continue in Drive Thru form and will be celebrating ONE YEAR of Drive Thrus. Last month was a record. 105 customers all collected their orders between 10.30am and 3.30pm and we thank you enormously for all being so brilliantly efficient, and imaginative with your order numbers placed prominently in your front window. Excellent artistic flair.
What’s available to order? With Easter just around the corner carvery ribs should prove popular as a quintessential Sunday roast and packed full of taste and goodness. At Hampton we all love Silverside, either pot roasted with Guinness and bacon, or simply roasted with a good covering of pepper and salt. Just add roast potatoes, some Yorkshire puddings, thick gravy, carrots and parsnips and everyone will be on your side. Alternatively, incredibly tasty skirt and shin will make an Easter casserole or stew that everyone will remember, and Hampton minced beef will turn its hand to lasagnes, bolognaises or traditional cottage pie. Finally, on the beef front, a plea for offal, which is becoming increasingly popular with the cognoscenti and we always have delicious liver, oxtails, even tongue and heart.
Hampton wild venison stocks are plentiful, due to our sharp shooting culling team, and there are fillets, racks, carvery haunches, whole haunches, diced and minced venison all beautifully butchered and packed by Will. It’s fantastic meat, totally natural and virtually fat free, and I urge everyone to try it at least once. Even better, the red wine pairings with venison are out of this world.
There’s no need to urge anyone to try Hampton Special Steak Pies. They continue to fly off the shelves and Helen is poised for your order, either big (family size) or small (individual size). Similarly, Hampton Herby pork sausages and Hampton Beef Bangers should be ordered as soon as you know your requirements for these monthly staples.
This month we will be increasing our prices modestly. This is the first increase since 2019 (we don’t work on weekly beef commodity prices) and our new beef price list is available on our website, and there is a link here. As you know we look after each beef cow for much longer than commercial herds so that they enjoy the Hampton pastures for longer, hence the goodness and taste is so much better but this all costs a bit more.
Robyn is delighted to supply you again this month with cakes, brownies and soda bread as detailed below with the addition of a special Easter simnel cake. All of Robyn’s delicious cakes are made to order so do please order early and add your requirements to your meat order.
Easter Simnel Cake 8” (2kg) £45, 7” (1.5kg) £32, 6” (1kg) £25, 4” £15
8” cakes (8 servings) Victoria sandwich, lemon drizzle or coffee £9 each, chocolate £11
Sticky ginger bread loaf £8
Fruit loaf £8
Chocolate brownies with white chocolate chunks (gf) £1 each, in batches of 4, 8 or 12
Seeded soda bread £4.50
Last year we played a part in two feature films, with both Ammonite (Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan) and Mothering Sunday (Odessa Young, Josh O’Connor, Olivia Coleman and Colin Firth) filmed in and around the house. We also played host to a really impressive day of filmmaking for The Meath, a locally based, nationally known centre of excellence for Epilepsy in Godalming. Do watch the result, which we are so delighted to have played a small part in and gives an enlightened view on the work of The Meath. I guarantee it will surprise you and click here to watch or visit www.meath.org.uk. Our next beef day is also on National Epilepsy Day.
Elsewhere on the estate our Airbnb Hop Cabin is being prepared for guests from 12th April onwards. It’s very quiet and sleeps four comfortably. Situated just off the North Downs Way it’s a great location for walkers. Find details on Airbnb. We also hope that all of Manor Farm Craft Centre including the Tea Rooms at Seale will be back up and running by then for that delicious cup of coffee, piece of cake and warm welcome.
We have three state of the art high specification office units to let at Shoelands Farm Offices. The offices have unlimited fibre broadband, are heated by a biomass woodchip heating system, have loads of parking and a friendly dog policy. It’s a great working environment in the lea of the Hogs Back surrounded by fields and trees. Have a look at www.shoelandsfarmoffices.co.uk for photos and details.
We are also dusting down Myrtle’s Courtyard, our event, party, conference, meeting space on the estate. It’s been very quiet for the last 12 months but now that thoughts are once again turning to weddings, get togethers, and anniversary lunches we are spring cleaning and taking bookings. Have a look at www.hamptonestate.co.uk/venuehire and do get in touch.
We look forward to seeing everyone on Friday 26th March for the Drive Thru. Hopefully, the daffs will be out and nodding approval and everyone will be looking forward to the Easter weekend. Please send over your order to Helen helenjackson@hamptonestate.co.uk whenever you can to ensure naturally reared Hampton produce.
Very best wishes
Bill and Bridget
Hampton Estate Naturally Reared Newsletter February 2021
Thank you to everyone for ordering and picking up your beef so incredibly efficiently last week. No one forgot, everyone Drove Thru and the hot topic of conversation via each wound down window was who had had the vaccine. It’s great to know that so many have been successfully jabbed. And now it’s time to remind you of our next Drive Thru on Friday 26th FEBRUARY. If there was any further vindication needed for purchasing Hampton Pasture for Life Beef, just have a look at The Daily Telegraph of Monday 1st February where beef from The Hampton Estate is described as ‘Hands down the best we have ever bought and tasted’. Check out page 21 for such kind comments.
I am delighted to report that we have beef galore for your order. Prime mince is always so versatile at this time of year for the lock down cottage pie, as is diced and stewing steak for aromatic and tender casseroles and stews. Brisket was extremely popular last month for long slow cooking and all the topside and top rump joints disappeared rapidly which bodes well for local Sunday lunches. There are sirloin, rump, spider, flatiron and hanger steaks to enjoy but what really took my eye last month was the sheer quality of the carvery rib joints. Simply stunning, and the epitome of the finest English roast beef. Just add roast potatoes and parsnips, some fresh carrots, thick gravy and a good bottle of red.
Hampton Beef Bangers and Hampton Herbies will be available and as well as a breakfast staple it’s worth considering making a sausage pie or sausage casserole for supper, both of which go well with baked potatoes, steamed leeks, and carrots on the side. Our venison stocks are being replenished with two animals brought in yesterday and venison steaks at this time of year make a good alternative to beef. We will also have diced, minced and fillet, and for that Henry 8th moment a haunch works wonders and wows everyone in the family.
There will be a limited number of the incredibly popular Hampton Special Beef Pies and I would seriously consider ordering now to avoid any disappointment. Family size (feeds 4) or individuals will be available, but stocks are limited.
We also have a good variety of offal including heart, (who saw Rick Stein’s recipe for heart a couple of weeks ago?) liver, kidney, tongue and oxtail. These are winter warmers of the first order and the flavour is outstanding. More and more customers are ordering offal and making the most amazing dishes with inspirational recipes from around the world.
As an update on herd management, we weaned the cows and calves in early January, using a natural weaning technique with a strong fence separating them. Calves can see and touch their mothers but can’t access their mother’s milk. Instead, we feed them a grass-based cattle cake to supplement their hay, and stress levels on both sides of the fence are reduced considerably. We have also blood tested all the animals and I’m pleased to report a very healthy herd as our High Herd Health Certificate attests.
Away from the beef herd we have been planting trees around the estate, restocking the clear fell sites. In Landthorne wood above Seale we have planted 4,500 Douglas Pine on a sloping site which has been deer and rabbit fenced for protection from hungry mouths. We have also beefed up an adjoining sweet chestnut plantation with young chestnut trees in tubes. When the snow fell last week, the first job was to check the fenced off areas for wild footprints. So far so good! At the other end of the woodland system forester Rob is coppicing mature sweet chestnut in Binton wood, which he is cutting for stake lengths, hop poles and gate posts which we will use across the estate during the year. The coppiced trees will start to grow back immediately and will be productive again in about 25 years’ time. Forestry is all long-term stuff.
To all those dogs who enjoyed Hampton Woffals I’m delighted to report that more will be available on 26th February. Thank you to everyone’s dog for such positive feedback, and any more would be most welcome. A jam jar of Hampton Woffals is yours for £5, and they contain pasture fed beef heart and liver, free range egg and strong white flour.
Talking of surveys, we would be really grateful if you have a moment to fill in our own 2021 Hampton Beef Happiness Survey. We know what an interest you take in Hampton beef products and your thoughts would be hugely appreciated. It’s not too onerous and will be incredibly helpful in our future planning. Please click HERE to access and your responses will be sent back to Molly and we will disseminate over a glass of red.
Brilliant chef Robyn is again offering cakes, brownies, and bread, which can be ordered through Helen and picked up on the 26th Feb. The following is available to collect with your beef.
8” cakes (8 servings)
Victoria sandwich £9
Lemon drizzle £9
Chocolate £11
Coffee £9
Sticky gingerbread loaf £8
Fruit loaf £8
Seeded soda bread £4.50
Chocolate brownies with white choc chunks (gluten free) £1 each, in batches of 4, 8, or 12
We really look forward to seeing you on FRIDAY 26th FEBRUARY from 10.30 am to 3.30 pm and please send over your order to Helen helenjackson@hamptonestate.co.uk as soon as possible. Any beefy questions do call either Bridget or I here at the estate office and we can help with menus, cuts and pasture queries.
Very best wishes
Bill and Bridget
Hampton Estate Naturally Reared Newsletter January 2021
A rather belated Happy New Year to all our customers and friends, and just to confirm that we will be continuing to hold our monthly Drive Thru Beef Days in 2021 just as before. I’m pleased to report that we are deemed essential retailers (something we always guessed was the case and now we know) and Hampton beef is an essential item, obviously.
Over Christmas, here at Hampton we enjoyed our salt beef and bresaola from silverside and brisket, we were delighted with our Bramble Farm turkey, and cooked up some fantastic goulash and cottage pie with Hampton prime mince. And all of the above go so well with autumnal chutneys from our tomato and apple glut, washed down with a dash of sloe gin.
Enough reminiscences, now to the future, and its looking very bright for FRIDAY 29th JANUARY and the first BEEF COLLECTION DRIVE THRU 2021. Two exceptionally well-muscled carcasses with excellent fat covering are hanging in Surrey’s premier cold store and Helen is awaiting your orders. Fillet, sirloin, and rump steaks are ready to order, but also don’t forget the ultra-delicious flat iron, spider, feather and hanger steaks which Simon the butcher magics from each animal. The carvery ribs are selling fast, but there are still some left – a two-rib joint surrounded by roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding looks fantastic on Zoom to impress your fellow virtual diners. Talking of impressing, don’t forget the short ribs, a Hampton signature dish. We also have the aforementioned silverside (straight roast, pot roast or salted to show off) plus brisket, topside and top rump all full of flavour and goodness. There is prime mince to order together with braising, stewing and diced steak meaning that any and every beef recipe is catered for. We can parcel up a 10kg family bag with a variety of the above or a 4kg convenience bag if it’s more convenient, and don’t forget the offal. Fantastic liver, oxtail, heart and kidney for the January lockdown evenings when inspiration and a challenge are both needed.
Venison is on the menu, as are Hampton Herby sausages and Hampton Beef Bangers and we can make as many 100% Hampton Beefburgers as needed for those adventurous lock down barbequers. And brilliant news, we can make you your favourite Hampton Special Beef Pie in either family or individual size and have enough stock to make quite a few. Just send over your order as soon as possible because we know they will go fast.
In the past few years, January diets (which we wholeheartedly avoid) have led to the concept of Veganuary, a.k.a. going vegan for January. This year we are really excited that the notion of Regenuary has taken off. Regenuary challenges veganism and asks consumers to think more deeply about the provenance of food – air miles, production systems, environmental impact and animal wellbeing. This is all about raising awareness of regenerative farming, which is exactly what we practice and bang on about at Hampton.
Our 100% pasture fed system relies on a conservation and rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems. It focuses on topsoil regeneration, increasing biodiversity, improving the water cycle, enhancing ecosystem services, supporting biosequestration, increasing resilience to climate change, and strengthening the overall health and vitality of our farm soil. The goodness of our meat is as a direct result of our grass and pastures which only thrive because of our care for the soil. Simple stuff. Add in the fact that our beef cows are not pushed to grow but do so completely naturally, outdoors, and its not surprising that there is a difference in taste, texture and goodness to all other beef rearing systems.
Grab a sirloin, roast some short ribs, throw together cottage pie and soon it will be February and spring will be just around the corner. I read last week that ‘food is now the new commute’ and as lockdown continues food will take on even more significance. Just make sure it’s the right, well sourced, local food, and pop your order in now to helenjackson@hamptonestate.co.uk!
We really look forward to seeing you on Friday 29th January and do please get in touch with any recipe queries, joint selection, roasting times and regenerative thoughts.
Very best wishes
Bill and Bridget