John and Debbie are doing pretty incredible things up at Townhead Farm. How many of us can honestly say we know exactly where our meat comes from, and that we’re happy that the animal we’re tucking in to has had a happy life before it makes it to our table? It seems small, but for something that as a nation, we eat rather a lot of, it’s a pretty significant thing, and John and Debbie are well on their way to changing the way we treat, buy, and eat our meat.

Rearing rare breed pigs, Scottish sheep, bronze turkeys and a variety of chickens that, in the 2 years since they set on this venture, have already gained a seriously good reputation for taste. For every day family meals to special occasions, they’ve got it covered with free range eggs, pig’n’mix selection boxes right up to full lambs. Yum! And when you’ve got good taste and good ethics at reasonable prices, its blooming brilliant!

They’re so proud of the work they do, they even operate an open door farm policy, meaning that subject to prior arrangement they are always happy for you, as an individual or in a group, to come and check out all the good stuff they’re doing, from taking advantage of the beautiful natural landscape the animals are reared on, to feeding them with your own fair hands.

For the more hands on amongst us, they also run courses that teach the basics of keeping chickens or pigs; from choosing and buying your breed to land management, to breeding and feeding. That’s the kind of thing that will set you up to do a bit of what they’re doing.

Basically they’re pretty brilliant people that are just really passionate about what they’re doing, and that’s why they’re doing it so well! They claim that their example is only small, but their ambitions are large, but if you ask us they’re setting a massive example that’s not only proving a great success, its also one of the most inspirational we’ve had the pleasure of discovering.

Townhead Farm, Helensburgh, G84 7LD

01436 678895

01436 678895