Our Chicken
Our birds live in small flocks and when feathered and able to venture outdoors they follow their instinct to roam and forage freely in fifty acres of Yorkshire countryside.
The Birds: Free Range Chicken,
Raised with Care
Our birds live in small flocks and have fifty acres of North Yorkshire countryside is theirs to explore, and they don't hold back.
We rear smaller flocks, living in smaller mobile arcs than most, which means less stress on the birds and more care from us. Our meadows are managed with them in mind - sections left unmown, beehives dotted across the land to encourage wildflowers and clover. It's good for them and good for the land too!
The Herbs: A Unique Diet for Our Free Range Chickens
Twice a week, we collect bundles of fresh herbs from Edward's cousin Philip's farm at Herbs Unlimited, just up the road in Sand Hutton. Around ten varieties - parsley, coriander, thyme, chillies, fennel and more - delivered to our birds in small racks so they can peck through at their leisure.
These herb off-cuts would otherwise go to waste, so there's something quietly satisfying about turning waste into something that genuinely improves the birds. Combined with additive-free cereal from a local mill and all the grass and insects they can forage, it's a diet that does the job properly.
The Taste: Exceptional Free Range Chicken
Our chickens don't taste of herbs - we should say that upfront. What the herb diet does is something more subtle: it enhances the natural flavour of the meat, adding depth and a richness you just don't get elsewhere.
The Great Taste judges called it "a good honest bird" with "the flavour of an old fashioned chicken." Gizzi Erskine, after trying one at Hawksmoor Manchester, said it was "so moist and so tasty and right up there with the steak." Customers tend to reach for the same words - succulent, moist, flavoursome and more than a few mention it taking them straight back to childhood. That's not nostalgia. That's just what properly reared chicken tastes like.
We don't administer antibiotics as a pre-emptive or routine flock management practice as some producers do. The only instance where antibiotics would be given is when veterinary intervention is specifically required for the welfare of the bird.
Our birds are allowed to reach full maturity - twice the age of a typical supermarket chicken - before they're processed locally and hand-finished by our team. Every bird arrives fresh, hand-finished and neatly packed, with cooking instructions to help you get the very best from it. Full traceability, from our farm to your table.
The Farm to Fork Journey
Our birds arrive on the farm and are carefully placed into small mobile arcs with fresh straw bedding, ensuring comfort, warmth, and safety as they settle into their new home.
They follow their instinct to roam and forage freely in fifty acres of Yorkshire countryside. Our chickens are a Ross breed - known for their excellent body confirmation and plump breasts. Their freedom allows them to explore, exercise, and begin developing the muscle tone and texture that contribute to our exceptional flavour.
The birds continue to grow at a natural, slower pace, dust-bathing, grazing, and pecking through over ten varieties of fresh herbs, sustainably sourced from a local herb farm, Herbs Unlimited.
Their herb-rich diet is complemented with additive-free cereal from a local mill, and the birds forage for grass and insects, stimulating their instincts and supporting optimal health.
We don't administer antibiotics as a pre-emptive or routine flock management practice as some producers do. The only instance where antibiotics would be given is when veterinary intervention is specifically required for the welfare of the bird.
At 8–9 weeks, once fully mature and twice as old as their supermarket counterparts, our chickens are transported to a BRC approved abattoir, stunned humanely before processing, ensuring the highest welfare standards.
The birds then return to our SALSA approved processing unit, where our skilled butchers hand-finish and pack each bird. This step guarantees full traceability, exceptional quality, and award-winning flavour in every Herb Fed chicken.
