What better way to get through the dark days of January than a summer diary date to look forward to! After a few fallow years we're super excited to announce that this is officially a Barndance Year! So, dust off the calendars and mark up the date - all welcome for the usual heady mix of great food, good fun, live ceilidh band and obligatory field campsite. To say I am super excited is a bit of an understatement - roll on August 30th and keep an eye out for more info nearer the time. Whilst I say dark days I'm probably not the only one who has seen a hint of the returning light. We can meet slightly earlier for morning stock moves, and it's no longer totally black when trying to juggle the last carry of eggs trays at the end of the day. Always a very literal balancing act it's definitely not made easier with limited daylight - or ice for that matter! Despite the need for extra caution however I would take this cold, dry weather over persistent mud any day of the week. Out in the fields the sheep are also grateful for drier feet around the hay racks. At the moment they are hanging out at the fringes of the farm, ready to head nearer to home next week for their annual scan to see what lambing season will bring. And so the year begins again. Beyond the barndance we've got an eye on some other key dates coming up which are keeping us busy: - First beef boxes of the new year will be available w/c 27 January - order now if you want to reserve , or book a courier box - Current Leckie Layers ladies are getting rehomed at the beginning of March with new chooks arriving mid March - We're hoping to install solar panels on our shed roof this Spring - this has been on the wishlist for a while so keeping everything crossed for a good weather window! To celebrate the New Year and wish you and your families a healthy and happy one we've got a heartwarming discount on our Meatballs - 15% off both our Classic and Sweet Chilli (G/F) beef meatballs until end of day Sunday 19th January. Use discount code ILOVEMEATBALLS at checkout

Old Leckie is classified as a small mixed farm – “mixed” in that it grows both livestock and crops and also that it has a varied mix of enterprises. This mixed type of farming allows for a self-sufficient type of agriculture whereby most fertiliser is produced on the farm for the farm.  In recent weeks after a long 6 months of being “housed” the cows have returned to pasture much to their and our relief. They get to enjoy fresh grass again rather that dry hay or preserved silage, feel the sun (and rain) on their backs and have the freedom of their fields. For us it means the end to the 7 days/week routine of feeding and bedding (with straw) the cattle with only daily checks required and weekly shifts between fields. When the ground has been firm enough to allow a tractor to travel over fields, we have been mucking out the sheds and carting the dung to the fields where the crop rotation demands it. Generally, half the dung will go to the “carse” (the flat clay/silt soil) ground and half to the “dry field” (more rolling mineral soil) ground. The carse ground is where we grow our barley crops and hay and silage for the winter feed for the cattle and sheep. The typical rotation is 3-4 years in ryegrass and red clover (silage and clover is a legume so fixes nitrogen in the soil and builds fertility) 1-2 years in barley (grain and straw) and then back to timothy grass (hay) for 7 years. The dung is “middened” (put in a heap) in the field for 1 year to compost before being spread and cultivated into the soil for the hungry barley crop. The dung is composted to allow the straw and manure to break down so that it is more digestible for the worms and micro biological life in the soil. On the dryfield land the predominant use is for grazing pasture, however after 10 years the grasses in these field tend to become dominated by lower yielding varieties and it is often necessary to reseed these fields with a new diverse sward of clovers and grasses. To go “grass to grass” is often difficult to establish the better grasses so it is often better to sow a “break crop”. At Old Leckie this tends to be a brassica fodder crop of kale a bit like 1-meter-high broccoli. Similar to the carse ground we midden the dung in the field (or part of the field) a year ahead of sowing before applying in early summer as we sow the kale. The kale provides a really nutritious food for the pregnant ewes through the lean winter months fed in sections every two days alongside silage. The kale also provides a great habitat for over wintering birds. The grazing action of the sheep and their feet creates bare muddy ground which allows us to sow a new grass pasture the following summer with only the need for minimal cultivation. These crop rotations, good soil health (lots of worms and organic matter) and crucially dung are key to sustaining a mixed farm and minimising the need for chemical fertilisers. Cleaning out the sheds and creating new middens each year is satisfying in a spring-cleaning sense, but also gives you a good feeling that you are keeping the soil on the farm in good “heart” for the future. Our farming forefathers knew all about it, and there is some truth in the old saying, “where there’s muck there’s brass!”

What a treat the weather gods have thrown at us recently... sunshine, showers, spectacular northern lights and dramatic thunder and lightening storms. At last it feels warm outside and it's been great to finally get things going. Fergus swears you can hear the grass growing - he had us all on our knees listening to the faint ticking noises of the soil doing it's thing. I got back from my travels just in time for the dry spell which saw a hive of activity including: - barley field drained, ploughed, harrowed and sown - the field which wintered the highlanders was rolled and re sown - tattie patch got ploughed, harrowed and planted - cattle emerged from the sheds onto lush green grass - lambing finally finished We've had some lovely guests here both in the farmstay and out and about on farm tours. In May the bursts of green are everywhere and it's hard not to feel a swelling in the chest with the lambs frolicking and the final spring calves being born. The Leckie Layers are settling in well to their new laying patterns and all egg sizes are back in stock. Plus we've got some of our grass fed native beef coming back from the local butchers next week - please get any orders in by the end of the weekend. UK wide courier available. Date for the diary - Gargunnock Show is on in the village on Saturday 1 June. A great day out for all the family with animals, kids running races, tug of war, vintage tractors and loads more. Look out for the Old Leckie team serving up some of our tasty burgers and sausages on the day to keep you well fuelled... come and say hello!

The silly season is upon us. Last week saw the usual hive of activity to prepare the sheds for lambing - bales moved and re-stacked, pens built and straw rolled out. The most exciting 'new' installation was the replacement of two water troughs. Over the last few years they become notorious for jamming in the wee small hours, meaning that the early morning shift stumbled bleary eyed into flooded pens. Am pleased to report that so far the ground is dry. So the triplet and single mums are in the shed, the twins out in the fields nearby and the regular cycle of checks, checks and checks again are underway. In the warmth of Easter Sunday I rode out round the fields on the quad bike, sun on my back, marking two day old lambs and all felt good with life. As I head off today then to New Zealand's warm autumn I will imagine that the team left behind are having an 'easy' lambing. Dry, warm and uplifting. I'm choosing to ignore the forecast of another prolonged wet spell and dip in temperatures. The extra efforts required to feel that you have tried your best. It's very surreal knowing I wont be here to share the burden. In other news we have a new collie puppy, "Bird" . A granddaughter of our eldest dog Bee she now joins her, and her aunty Bug, to give us a trio of chaos. You forget quite how lovely a young pup is - she's got long hair and is quite a fluff ball. Hannah, who is here to help with lambing, arrived and loved her so much too she promptly bought her brother "Kiwi". So this morning as I type we now have 2 puppies careening round the kitchen trying to chew my toes. That 34 hour flight is suddenly looking more attractive... No newsletter for the next few weeks then - let's hope its warm and dry by the next one!

I'm not quite sure where March has gone, but with an early Easter here we are with only a few days left before the schools break off. With lambing about to start, and holidays imminent, this week will pass in a blur. With a quiet moment then I need to highlight a couple of things for our regular customers over next few weeks: Holidays - please don't forget to let us know if you are away. I'm disappearing myself to collect Katie from her overseas study term so Hilary will be holding the fort with orders. She will be in every Tuesday dealing with paperwork so as much notice as possible would be very much appreciated for any amendments or additional meat orders Sizing - Most of the time we are able to supply a good mix of sizes, but sometimes, like now when we have young hens just starting to lay we will have more medium available, and sometimes very few, and vice-versa with Larges and XL’s. This is part of the natural growth cycle of our Leckie Layers. Leckie Layers start laying your award winning eggs at about 5 months old. To begin with these are very small “pullet” eggs, they might be little but taste amazing. As they continue to grow their eggs become bigger and we get Medium eggs, then bigger still as they begin to lay Large ones. As they approach their 1 st birthday eggs start to get even bigger and we get quite a few XL eggs. So, for the next few weeks if you are a regular Large or XL customer you may find you only get mediums delivered. This will just be a temporary change to your regular order and we will get you back to size as soon as we can. On the plus side our young hens lay the most amazing quality shells so they should perform well in any easter egg rolling activity! Hope you all have a fabulous Easter and may your eggs be both Leckie Layer's and chocolate!

As the end of January rapidly approaches I wonder how many new years' resolutions are still standing? If you started the year emboldened to shop more locally, perhaps eat less meat (but better quality) then you'll be delighted our first meat boxes of 2024 are here! Even better if you order by end of day Sunday 28th January you'll get a 10% discount. Jam packed with fabulous quality meat, produced from our family farm we have both outdoor reared pork and grass finished native beef boxes scheduled: Outdoor Pork: w/c 5 Feb February Grass Fed Native Beef: w/c 26 February With a mix of box sizes available our chilled meat is expertly butchered and packed all ready for your freezer. With UK courier options it's the best value way to buy meat from us, wherever you are! We're always happy to butcher to order and can usually accommodate requests for gluten free sausages and burgers too. If you have a special request just let us know. Discount will automatically be applied at check out.

As the first sliver of the new moon rose above the tree line last night I was thinking about what a wonder the night time sky has been this last week. Yes, the days with their beautiful blue skies and cold crisp temperatures have been lovely, but the nights? They have been something else. We are blessed here to have dark skies with little artificial light pollution, so on a clear night the trees provide their own silhouettes. Last night we had an unwelcome call out of deep slumber thanks to an escaped pig. As you might imagine there was much huffing and puffing as we got dressed to head out. It all felt worth it to realise Orion was right there, hanging low above the steading. We've had plenty of dark o'clock activity this week as we get ready for the hen changeovers. The larger house was collected up in the early hours of yesterday morning. Our strategy of red head lamps and darkness worked a treat, letting us move quietly about the hens who were still sleepy and roosting . I wasn't sure how long it would take to get all 825 of them into cases to be re-homed. It's surprising what 4 people looking forward to breakfast can do in 2 hours! The hens however aren't the only part of the team shipping out. Next weekend sees our eldest heading off to study in New Zealand for a term. An amazing opportunity to have an adventure of a lifetime, but as the departure day gets closer my motherly nerves feel a bit more frayed. It seems odd that she wont see the same night sky as us for a few months - but it won't stop me looking up.

The tree is down, the tinsel packed away and the school clothes washed and ready for a return to timetables tomorrow. The kids may be reluctant to say goodbye to the festive sparkle but there is, from my tired kitchen at least, a hint of relief that normal operations are soon to be restored. I am a Monday morning sort of person, excited about the opportunity the week will bring to crack on and get things done. A New Year is then a bit like a Monday and I'm keen to get going. Top of the list is the retirement of our current Leckie Layers. Our chooks have been with us now since Autumn 2022 laying their fabulous eggs and keeping us all topped up with essential proteins. In full production mode our hens lay a large egg most days - at 70g this represents about 5% of their bodyweight. It's the equivalent of you or I growing an arm every 24 hours. So at this stage they are also feeling a bit like my post Xmas fatigue. They start to lay a bit less, and their shells become thinner and more brittle. As in previous years we are really pleased to work with the British Hen Welfare Trust . These guys are great as they help us find new homes for our ladies, so for the next couple of weekends you can think of us out in the hen houses in the wee small hours, head torches set to red lamps, so that we may quietly (and without stress) catch them up to send them off to backyard runs and gardens. What follows is then a full on assault on the buildings themselves as they are stripped down, washed and disinfected ready for the arrival of the new flocks the next week. The 16 week old pullets will arrive and get settled in before they come into maturity and start laying their own eggs at about 21 weeks old. And so where will our eggs come from whilst all this is going on? Corrie Mains Eggs are an award winning family egg producer, based in Ayrshire. They have a great set up and similar quality and, as in previous years, are able to provide an alternate supply over this changeover period. So from now until March and our new hens are laying it will be their eggs in our boxes. Without this partnership we would need to operate a third house and essentially over produce eggs all year round to deal with this short changeover period. So with our low waste policy it works great for us, and we thank you for your patience and support as we welcome our new hens. And as for the rest of the year? We hope 2024 is both a kind and tasty one for everyone - we're certainly looking forward to continuing to supply the very best in local produce to you and your family.