+Is your meat grass-fed?

Our beef and lamb comes from our farm, Green Hills which is located just up the road near Malmsbury. It is part of the fertile volcanic landscape that supports rich pasture. Here we raise our beef cattle and prime lambs on pasture. They are free to range and select different grasses, have clean, cool water and plenty of shade. In the really cold winter months, grasses don't have as many nutrients and our cattle need more to cope with the weather, so large bins with grain are placed in the paddock for them to graze on should they want to.

+Are your sheep and cattle treated humanely?

Absolutely. We take great care and pride in the way we treat our animals. Caring for our stock is paramount in what we do. We are hands-on farmers who take great pride in the careful way we handle our animals. You can follow our Instagram page where we frequently post photos and images of us out on our farm with our stock. One of the big issues in animal welfare is transport. Our stock are processed a mere five minutes from the farm. This gives us the ability to follow our stock through the entire process, minimising any stress. The farmers we source our pork and chicken from share our ethics and values around animal husbandry and farming.

+What is the difference between ‘grass-fed’ and ‘grain-fed’?

According to Meat and Livestock Australia: “Grass-fed meat comes from animals that have only grazed on grass. They feed on a range of different types of grasses, depending on climate and region. In Australia, cattle and sheep are predominantly grass-fed and account for, on average, approximately two-thirds of overall beef and sheep meat production. Grain-fed meat comes from animals that are fed grass for most of their lives and then transition to grain-based diets for the remainder of their lives. The number of days during which they are fed a grain-based diet varies.”

Our beef and lamb from our own farm is proudly grass-fed. For a lot of passionate beef eaters, grass-fed provides a more nuanced and complex flavour profile. During Winter when pasture is dormant and no new growth is coming up, grain is placed in large bins out in the paddocks, so our cattle can choose to graze from to help keep condition during the colder months. However this is purely a supplement and their main diet is grass.

+Is your chicken free-range?

It is not only certified free range it is also local, grown by the Hazeldene family on their farm out at Lockwood, about an hour north of Daylesford.

+Is your pork free-range?

Proudly so. And APIQ certified by Australian Pork, grown by farmers in the Western District and Wimmera by Pastoral Pork. You can see how the pigs are raised by visiting this website. www.pastoralporkfreerange.com.au. There you can see Large White, Landrace and Duroc breeds that have been bred specifically for outdoor conditions. The farmers’ commitment to humane and sustainable farming practices give Pastoral Pork free-range the difference you can taste.

+Do you deliver?

Yes. We deliver every day from Monday to Friday for wholesale customers. We will deliver in our refrigerated vans to your business or home across metro Melbourne and the majority of regional Victoria every week. Click here to check if we deliver to your postcode.

+Are your sausages gluten free?

You will not find any gluten in our snags.

+Do you use preservatives?

No. We don’t. That is why we recommend you refrigerate our products immediately after purchase and consume them within 48 hours. An exception to this is our preservative-free mince that should be refrigerated immediately after purchase and consumed within 24 hours, or, frozen. Thaw and use within 24 hours. Because we don’t use preservatives it can appear darker in colour.

+Does all the meat come from the farm?

We are specialists in larger animals, like sheep and cattle. We prefer to let other farmers, who share our values, raise the pigs and grow out the chickens that we stock in our butchery. They are local farmers too, so you’re are buying pork and chicken grown in the region.

+Who do you supply to?

You. We have a great relationship with both our local customers and people who drive from elsewhere to pick up their favourite smallgoods and our free-range meats. We also proudly supply some of the best restaurants in the region including Surly Goat in Hepburn, Bistro Terroir in Raglan Street, Daylesford and the world-famous Lakehouse, situated on Lake Daylesford. We also donate our meat to raise money for various local social causes and proudly donate the meat tray for the Friday night meat raffle at the Farmers Arms Hotel in Daylesford who every week, raise money for a local charity.