Thank you so much for asking me to write for the magazine again – I am delighted to share stories of life here at Yellingham in its many guises.
As I write we are just in the throes of lambing which is one of my favourite times of the year. So far we things are going well although I did have one ewe, who over a period of two long hours gave birth to quads. Sounds fine and they were all 
born healthy, if a bit small, but the problem of course is that a ewe only has two teats. So I took the decision to leave her to rear two properly and took the other two off her and they are happy on the bottle.
Unfortunately, at the moment, we have sold the last of our cattle. It is the first time in 19 years that we have had no beautiful Bovines on the farm. The 
decision was planned in so far as I had booked to buy replacement calves from the farm who always supply us, but due to TB restrictions, I can’t purchase them. We have considered starting another Suckler herd, but we do find rearing calves from three weeks old to finishing them at the age of about two years to be successful and cost effective. Sorry but there won’t be any Yellingham beef in the shop for a while.
As you all know, running a small rural farm is not profitable and we have had to diversify and complement the farm with our Bed and Breakfast and outdoor catering. Recently we have converted a redundant stable block into a function room for small events – the Xmas lunches were held in there for the first time and it was great. We are now planning to hold another pop-up restaurant on the 19th and 20th May offering a six-course menu, with an emphasis on using foods reared and grown on the farm, complimented with a matching flight of wines.
For further details and to book you can call me on 01404 850272.
I look forward to writing in more detail next month – the lambing yard calls!
Janet
