04th March 2017
So over the past couple of months we have taken full advantage of the quieter period and jetted off to see some of our producers. First of all myself and Christian departed Select HQ in Essex and braved the cold, dark & foggy morning roads as we made tracks North towards Shropshire. As we neared the small town of Whitchurch, tarmac turned to dirt roads and frosty greenery as far as the eye could see. We turned right into what looked like an old farmhouse with a big red and blue sign saying ‘Highbury Poultry’. We signed in and had a chat with the managing director before learning about the feed, in-house catching team and many other controls put in place to ensure the birds are reared to Highbury’s specific welfare standards. The next morning, an even frostier drive took us through Tewksbury, Gloucester and finally into Frome, Somerset. As we pulled in between a couple of large farm buildings there were some Belgium blue cattle literally roaming around us. Here we met Stuart Perkins, the boss over at Castlemead Poultry, a very laid back young man who clearly enjoys rearing some of the best free range chicken around, Stuart took us on a guided tour of his new processing plant which is very impressive, the lairage in particular comes fitted with calming blue light and plays soothing music for the chickens when they arrive for processing. We are setting off for Ireland next month to check out some of our handpicked cattle so keep your eyes peeled.
