At Natures Rest we integrate high-welfare animal husbandry, with traditional food craftsmanship, and ecological land management of what is to all intense and purposes a private nature reserve.

Our uniquely raised Willow Fed Cockerels are reared from day old chicks under solar powered brooders, and once big enough to go out, forage daily amongst our species rich flower meadows from daw till dusk. We purposely select cockerels for their larger size and these magnificent birds reach a finished size of around 5 to 6kg!

We feed them in our own unique way that encourages natural foraging, restricting their compound feed and supplementing their diet with willow and fermented grains to slow their growth and further enhance their flavour, ad only get natural rainwater to drink! Unlike supermarket birds which are ready in 6-8 weeks, we more than double that to 4 months plus!

And then we add another layer to the production control in how they are processed, currently using only small local processors but planning to take that element over entirely ourselves by the spring of 2027. Birds are individually selected and processed as needed, not by date in a conveyor belt factory system. And rest assured, there is simply no room for religious slaughter practices for any of our livestock.

And then the next stage of the magic starts when we hand these birds over to The Real Tom Holland Butcher. A young and up and coming Artisan Butcher who specialises in high quality, flower meadow raised meat which he then applies his skill as a Master at the process of dry aging.

Under Tom's watchful eye, these birds are slowly dry aged in tightly controlled conditions for up to 10 days, intensifying both the flavour and tenderness for an end product you simply cannot get anywhere else!

Reared on our species rich flower meadows our pedigree Jacob hogget (hogget is between 12 & 24 months old) is slow grown for 18 months or more, naturally weaned with minimal wormers and medical intervention only when required for animal welfare.

Our sheep graze outside all year round with additional feed during the winter comprising of our own meadow hay made traditionally after our wild flowers have seeded. In addition they get access to mineral licks and a tiny amount of compound feed to keep them "bucket trained" so they come when called rather than herding them with a sheepdog. This we feel is much better for their welfare than being chased by a trained dog.

They get a massive amount of shelter from our over grown hedges and self sown trees from the wind, rain and ever more frequent hot summer sun. In fact they can probably graze all day i the summer in the shade! They also get a large proportion of feed from all the trees with a especial liking for willow leaves, Ivy, mosses, bramble ad even though they are not supposed to be good for them, acorns! I've even watched them eat blackberries, rush and thistle seeds, picking them off individually like delicacies.

We tend to lamb later than most commercial breeders as were not chasing the early market sales spikes and need the grass, which with no artificial fertiliser is slower to get going in the spring. We take advantage off our big chicken run here also, as its both fox and badger proof and gives piece of mind they have a bit more security in early life.

As with our chickens, some of our hogget will go to Tom for his dry aging treatment which takes something that's already pretty special to a whole new level of taste and flavour.

As with our poultry processing, we go the full distance to make sure our sheep are processed with the utmost of care and respect, and to this end we can guarantee there is no element of religious slaughter for our sheep as Chris works in the small family farm abattoir we use, and is licenced to carry out the stunning process of our sheep himself.

Our traditional sheepskins are available to purchase should you wish to buy one. They make very beautiful traditional floor rugs but also as we use them ourselves they make the best luxurious seat coverings and are even better when used on a camp chair for both comfort and warmth.

Sheepskins are extremely good value at £125 each plus delivery

The other benefit to Chris working at the abattoir we use, is he also gets to individually salt all our hides and we then take them to one of the few remaining tanneries in the UK to be turned into the most stunning sheep skins. We strongly believe in not wasting anything. In the same way, our wool when the sheep are sheared, will be utilised around the garden area, often as nutrient rich weed suppressants around the base of our fruit trees. Unfortunately due to all the brambles and sticks etc these sheep manage to collect during the year their fleeces aren't great for using as for spinning or any other commercial use.

We bring you what is likely the most luxurious meat pies you will ever taste! Steeped in history with where we source every ingredient, the effort at every stage of production and then we continue that story in how these pies are individually crafted, and contents cooked slowly, just like the way the ingredients have been grown! From our own slow grown Cockerels, Jacob Hogget and beef sourced by Tom from Field Irish Farm at Bradworthy. Each of these pies comes packed with only the best meat with organic vegetables, local butter and organic flour for the pastry and roasted bones to add both goodness and flavour to the gravy.

There are no artificial preservatives or ultra processed ingredients in these pies. Yes you heard that right, none, zero, nothing that's not real which is virtually.

And then to put the jewel in the crown to show complete transparency, each pie comes with a QR code linking to a short film to show where all the ingredients come from.

Our eggs come from our small flock of about 50 hens which are a mix of pets, rescue hens and commercial hens. There run is just over an acre in size and surrounded by fox and badger proof fencing with electric fencing on top. Whilst they also share this space with our meat birds, the space is massive and because of the way we manage their run, you wouldn't know most of them were even there until feeding time. We allow allot of the thistles and rushes to grow fully on a cycled management rota which provides both a more natural tall cover and foraging habitat for the hens as well as allowing the wild flowers to grow and providing for the bees, butterflies, insets, Goldfinches and food for owls. We have also planted several small tree copses of apple, hazel and willow which will provide additional food for both the hens and other species. We use the sheep to help maintatin the vegetation in combination with macinery.

Most of our eggs are sold via a small egg round and through subscribed customers but we do get surplus eggs which we offer to our visitors.

Developing a name for himself for his high end artisan meat products, specialising in the dry aging process using meat produced locally from farms that go the extra mile in how they both rear and feed their livestock.

For us, his ability to dry age our birds and hogget is the icing on the cake when you get to taste the difference in the end product. More flavour, drier crispier skin and tenderness.

Based out of his home in Bradworthy, you can find him at most of the farmers markets in the area or collect direct if you pre arrange beforehand. Allot of his stock is pre ordered in advance and sold before its finished its dry aging process!