Langley Chase Organic Farm Wins Best Organic Lamb In Britain For Second Year At National Awards

03 November 2004: Langley Chase Organic Farm, Chippenham, has won Britain's Best Organic Lamb for a second year in a row at the prestigious national Organic Food Awards, run by the Soil Association. The farm won the same award in 2003.

Langley Chase rears rare breed, Manx Loghtan sheep and beat far larger producers and retailers to win the competitive lamb category. Soil Association Director Patrick Holden and food writer Sophie Grigson presented Mrs Jane Kallaway with the award at a ceremony at Sheep Drove Organic Farm on November 3 2004.

Langley Chase's year lamb was also highly commended.

Top TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Giorgio Locatelli and Darina Allen were among the distinguished judges who decided the winners in a wide-range of categories and from a 1000 entries.

Judges said Langley Chase organic lamb was "An excellent example of balance in texture, flavour and depth, a clean, clear taste with a lovely fat covering."

Mrs Jane Kallaway said: "This is a tremendous accolade from such respected critics and we are very pleased. The award recognises what our customers' demand - delicious, organic meat produced in a traceable manner. It is a great testament to our natural and slow rearing methods and our unremitting focus on welfare and quality.

Langley Chase Organic Farm rears striking, multi-horned, Manx Loghtan sheep. A primitive breed thought to have been introduced into the UK by the Vikings. The meat is distinctively tasty - award winningly so for Langley Chase Manx Loghtans - and is also lower in fat and cholesterol* than commercial breeds making it a healthy organic choice.

Since the 2003 win the farm has expanded its offering and now sells organic lamb sausages, organic cured sheep skins as well as its butchered to order lamb.

The farm has a growing number of customers throughout the west country and nationally who use the farm's detailed website to place orders and find out about the farm's management methods and its rare breed Manx Loghtans.

The farm has also expanded its educational open days and local schools now regularly visit the farm to learn about organic husbandry and meet the sheep. The farm’s pond is being extended to create larger wildlife zones and it has started a programme of traditional hedge laying to create natural wildlife corridors around the farm.

The win is the fourth year the farm's lamb has secured success at the Awards. Langley Chase came first in 2003 and in 2002 and 2001 the farm won second and third place respectively. The farm has been included in the BBC book Rick Stein's Guide To The Food Heroes of Britain and The River Cottage Meat Book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. The farm has had lamb reviewed by top chefs including Mark Hix, Chef Director of the acclaimed Ivy restaurant.

Lambs are available from autumn onwards each year and are sold either whole or half. A whole lamb weighs approximately 13kg, (29lbs). Goods can be collected from the farm, with prior appointment or delivered direct to the customer's door anywhere in the UK.