Christmas Countdown!

So the Christmas countdown is now officially on!

The turkeys and geese are looking lovely out in the paddocks, despite the weather, and the orders are coming in thick and fast!

Will is hectically getting things ready on the farm; making sure all the animals are fed, watered and bedded down. It's a busy time of year for us in all respects, as we're also preparing for lambing straight after Christmas!

In addition, Will will reach dizzy heights of fame today, as he's interviewed about the geese on BBC Radio Bristol and Points West later. Today Points West, tomorrow La Scala!

With all the work and weather to contend with, it's good to remember that the hard work now will be worth it when we all sit down at the table on Christmas Day and tuck in to a delicious goose! Our favourite!

So, if you would like to indulge in a delicious, free-range, award winning and traditionally reared  Legarth goose or a Norfolk Bronze turkey this Christmas, get in touch quickly, as we're selling out fast!

Give Will (07779 547 510) or Lucy (07890 688 948) a ring a ding or email us at jollygoose@live.com

Wishing you all a wonderful run up to Christmas!

JGHQ x

Christmas Update!

Hello everyone!

So silly season is upon us - and don't we just know it!

Just to update you all on what we have left in stock; we have completely sold out of geese and ducks for Christmas this year, though we do have a handful of delicious turkeys left.

Our turkeys are free range, and are dry plucked and hung for optimum taste, texture and moisture. They're a real treat of a bird!

So, if you would like a tasty turkey for your Christmas dinner, please get in touch sooner rather than later.

Wishing you all a lovely Christmas season!
The Jolly Goose Co

Orchard Harvest Day!

Well what a wonderful day!

Today we headed on down to the Winterbourne Medieval Barn Orchard Harvest Day. Late, as usual, we pulled up, decked out a gazebo and brought down two of our youngest calves, Peggy and Pearl.

The crowds started pouring in to the barn and grounds at 11 o'clock and we soon had lots of 'oohs' and 'ahhs' thanks to these little ones:

We wanted to not only promote our Christmas birds, but also all of the other activities on the farm, such as shearing the sheep and the uses of wool, how we rear our calves and how we look after the hedgerows around the farm. The children and adults enjoyed learning about the different hedgerow species we have in England, and their lovely fruits. The conkers were also quite a hit! Will demonstrated a bit of hedgelaying with our make shift hedge and the children got to touch (and frequently sniff?!) the wool from our sheep.

The calves were, of course, the stars of our stall, and as you can see, were beyond chilled out all day - quite remarkable given that they are only 6 weeks old! They were lapping up the attention and enjoyed lots of lovely stokes and cuddles from everyone! Lucky little beasties!

The day was a fantastic show of rural crafts and traditions. We were opposite a beautiful horse whose job it was to press the apples to make scrummy scrumpy, and there were handmade soaps, beautiful straw craft masterpieces, fantastic felt arts, dry stone walling demonstrations, local bee keepers with honey and lots of delicious homemade cakes! The calves weren't alone either - there were ducks, pigs and even llamas!

It was truly wonderful to see so many skilled and passionate people teaching others about their crafts, and even better that so many people were interested in hearing about them! Thank you to everyone who stopped by at our stall and had a chat - we hope you all had a lovely day
.

We can't wait for next year!

Well Christmas is over for another year, and what a Christmas it has been! We had almost completely sold out by the beginning of December, despite significantly increasing our numbers this year, and hadn’t a bird left on Christmas Day – we even nearly sold our own goose! That would not have gone down well! 

We’d like to say a huge thank you to all our wonderful customers who make all the hard work worthwhile with their support and positivity. We hope you all enjoyed a fantastic Christmas, a delicious bird and lots of happiness.

Now our sights are set on 2014 – onwards and upwards! We are rearing darling and delicious Aylesbury ducks all year round (no rest for the wicked!) and we think they’re rather good...luckily so do some other folk – here are the kind words of Freddy Bird, the head chef at the lovely Clifton Lido;

"I have recently discovered a new farm who now supply us with their ducks (I hope soon they will be able to supply us beef, lamb and pork as well). Farmer Will and his sister rear Aylesbury ducks on a small scale. These free range ducks are reared, slaughtered and dry plucked (all on the farm) by this brother and sister team. I used to keep Aylesbury ducks as a child and have longed for a roast duck that tasted as good as they did – finally I have – in fact these trump any duck I have ever eaten! Just simply roasted these ducks are fantastic!"

Thank you Freddy, we're glad you approve! 

Wishing you all a very happy New Year, 

JGHQ x

The Christmas Countdown Is On!

And so we find ourselves in October .... December is certainly looming and things are hotting up at JGHQ!

The turkeys are growing and exploring their home; they love to roost on bales and their cute chirps have turned in to gobble gobbles ... funny things! They're all getting big and plump now - reminding us that Christmas is on it's way.

The ducks and geese happy neighbours and are loving the rain (unlike the rest of us!) Their honks and quacks ring out throughout the paddocks - what lucky neighbour we have! They're all in full feather and looking very impressive - we can't understand how they can stay so white when they love puddles so much!

The wonderful summer we all enjoyed has left us with heaps and heaps of wonderful hedgerow fruits...so what does that mean? That's right - JAM TIME! We picked a plethora of blackberries, rosehips, sloes and haws so now we're stocked up on jams, rosehip syrup and sloe gin to see us through to next summer!

We've been very busy recently converting an old dairy into a brand spanking new butchery and kitchen. It's a huge step up for us so we're hopeful that this Christmas will be a success to make sure it was all worth it! We're hoping to be finished in the next two weeks so as soon as we are we'll treat you to a little tour of our lovely new HQ!

Wishing you all a jolly October!

JGHQ x

Duck Tales!

Hello everyone!

So as you can see, we have some new, adorable additions to the JG family in the form of 86 fluffy little ducklings! This post is going to be pretty laden with photos, but they're just too cute to not!

These chickas are only one day old and so inquisitive! They are Aylesbury ducks - a traditional, English breed, that will be grow up to be white and chubby! 

We will now be rearing ducks throughout the year to compliment our Christmas sales, a new and exciting venture! 

Look at this guy!

For the first few weeks, the ducklings will live indoors under heat lamps, until they are big and strong enough to head on out into the paddock. 

With a Will for scale

Oh hey there!

Sorry for the overly soppy post this month - but come on, how cute are these things?! 

Remember, on a serious note (booo), Christmas is just around the corner so if you're thinking of having a beautiful, free range goose, turkey or ducks this year, give us a bell. 

JGHQ x

The Jolly Goslings have arrived!

Hello everyone and happy August!

As you can see the lovely little goslings have landed at JGHQ...look how nosey they are! They were keen to get straight out in their paddock on arrival - exploring their new home and neighbours. They calves and pigs are very puzzled! They have been happily grazing the paddock and even enjoyed the little rain showers the other day! They are about one month old their beaks and feet are starting to take on an orange tint, though no signs of the first honk just yet!

We have already had some Christmas orders come in (you organised folk, you!) so if you're considering going goose this year (or turkey or duck......) send us an email;

jollygoose@live.com

Over and out! x

Happy summer everyone!

We hope you've all been enjoying the sunshine as much as we have here at JGHQ! The animals have loved the sun and fresh grass that has been rocketing during the past few weeks - June, you've won us over so far!

The sheep have been sheared ready for more balmy days out in the fields;

And we've taken the first cut of silage to see us through the winter:

Not that we want to think about winter too much right now!

The grass is cut and gathered before it dries (unlike hay) and stored under plastic sheeting to stop it from drying out and to allow it to ferment. After fermentation, the silage has a sweet taste and smell, which the cows love!

We're also about to put the piglets and their mummy out into the paddock so watch out for that update....!

Calf Chaos!

Hello everyone and happy Spring!

So during the recent weeks we've been busy doing reasonably dull things...like building sheds and painting parlours but finally we have something photogenic and fun to write about.....our new calves!

We've acquired five new little calves - just a few months old - to join our happy menagerie! This is Flora;

The calves are very sweet but are shy still - that'll soon change though! They are Simmental cross Friesian calves from our local dairy farmer and so will grow nice and big (hopefully). They're still drinking milk which we make them morning and night but soon they'll be weaned onto homegrown barley and silage. When they're big enough we'll put them out into the paddocks, which is exactly what we did this weekend with our bigger calves. This is them this morning, enjoying the sunshine!




To get them to the paddock we walked them on halters....much easier said than done. It turned into a bit of a rodeo! Who knew they had it in them! Anyway, after a lot of running, jumping and slamming on the brakes, we managed to get them into the paddock where they lept around and tasted grass for the very first time! They're five very happy calves!

Squidglets!

Horay! This morning our wonderful sow Vinnie (I know, we had a little gender identification error when she was very young...!) gave birth to a lovely litter of squidgy little piglets - what a brilliant sight to wake up to! So far they have all had a good drink of precious milk and are already adventuring around their pen ... though not straying too far from their mummy. When Vinny is about to let down her milk she grumbles at them and they all quickly scrabble back to her!

This is Vinnie's second litter - about 18 months ago she had a small litter of 6 which have grown up to be beautiful, if not a little pesky, pigs. This litter is much bigger, as usual with a subsequent litter, with 14 piglets. That's more than doubled our pig numbers in one swoop!

Vinny and the babies will stay indoors until the piglets are big and strong and the weather is warm and then we will unleash them into the fields, where I'm sure they'll have no end of fun!

We'll keep you updated as these little lovelies grow!

JGHQ x

email - jollygoose@live.com

twitter - @TheJollyGooseCo

facebook - The Jolly Goose Co

Happy Ewe Year!

Hello and happy new year everyone!
We hope you all had a wonderful festive season!

Well we have been busy - after the mad dash of Christmas, it was straight in to our lambing season... no rest for the wicked!

Despite the cold and the wet, we've had some lovely lambs born so far and we're nearing the half way mark for ewes due. Phew! Our Suffolk lambs are black and fluffy with huge ears which is oddly adorable! We keep them warm under heat lamps and on days like today, they love a good sunbath in the sheds when the sun makes a rare appearance.

We will now be lambing until April so I'm sure there will be a few  pictures to follow. We also have some more little ones arriving soon - our calves are due soon and at the end of February we are expecting some lovely little piglets. What an exciting start to the new year!

There are only 19 days, 15 hours, 2 minutes and 26 seconds until Christmas....

.....PANIC!

However, Christmas did make a little, early appearance at JGHQ a few days ago with us indulging in a, if I do say so myself, scrummy roasted goose....

Although admittedly not our biggest specimen, the goose was juicy, tasty with a crispy skin, and very easy to cook - and if I say that, it means ANYBODY can cook a goose! The roasties cooked in the goose fat were pretty spectacular too!

It definitely got us in the festive spirit – a day later we caved in and bought out tree!

So, if you are after a lovely jolly goose this year, let us know soon – we only have a few left!

Call 07890 688 948 or email jollygoose@live.com

.....tree pictures to follow!

Happy Christmas everyone!

Nice Weather for Ducks

Hello!

I know, we've been naughty and neglected the blog for an absolute age, but we have been up to all sorts...

Firstly, we casually went to America....! We had a fantastic trip round California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada - it definitely made us want to start up a San Francisco office for The Jolly Goose Co! The weather was beautiful, the people were delightful (though some were a bit nutty) and the sights were unbelievable!

We arrived back home and suddenly it was Autumn... what a shocker! So we set about pulling ourselves out of our post-hols blues by digging out our knitwear and getting excited for Christmas!

Job #1 - Blackberrying

What better way to warm our cockles than with a little home made blackberry gin....? We picked quite a bounty and ginned it up ready for Christmas and New Year. It smells so delicious, I can't wait! Just fresh blackberries, sugar and gin. Perfection.

Job #2 - Pumpkin Soup



Hallowe'en means one thing at JGHQ - Pumpkins!

Pumpkin + onions + apple + ginger + chicken stock + cinnamon + nutmeg + cloves = yummy winter warming soup.

Job #3 - Ducky Dealings

Finally, we acquired ourselves some ducks. Our beautiful Aylesburys are so much fun to watch and listen to and we had a pair of Muscovys and Cayugas thrown in for good measure too. They're enjoying this weather....though they may be the only ones!

So now the countdown to Christmas has begun - only 52 days to go! The orders for geese are coming in thick and fast so if you fancy a goose or a pork, lamb or beef joint for the big day, get in touch now;                                       jollygoose@live.com                     07890 688 948



The Golden Oldie!

Like most farmers this year, we've been struggling with our harvest - rain + rain + rain + more rain = very frustrated farmers! So, when we finally caught the first bit of sustained sunshine last week, we were all go....until the combine sunk. Twice.
That's right 18 tons of combine harvester stuck in the middle of the field. Twice.
All the rain we had over the summer had left our fields too soft and squidgy to hold the beast of a machine up, despite the crops drying out to the right moisture percentage. We were in a bit of a pickle.

So just when we're about to give up on Harvest 2012 the Gods handed us a olive branch in the form of a 1967 New Holland Clayson beauty!

Weighing in at a svelte 6 tons, painted a glorious yellow and well oiled, this sixties sweetheart was just the gal for the job! So coaxing her out of retirement, we set her to work on the wheat.





With a dinky 10 foot header and no cab it was long and dusty work but she battled on!

Two days in and she's still going strong .... let's just keep everything crossed that the sun continues to shine and this Golden Oldie can bring home the harvest!



Finally, what we've all been waiting for.... a goose!

Hello all! I have finally got you the picture we've all been waiting for... that of the elusive Jolly Goose! This little girl got papped en route to the water trough this morning ... by the looks of things she had a pretty heavy night - look at those bleary eyes!


Oh no! I haven't put my 'face' on!



When the goslings first arrive they are bright yellow with pink beaks and black eyes (check out the photos of on last year's posts) but now they have started turning white, their little beaks are turning orange and their eyes are a lovely blue. Pretty little things!                                          

They're enjoying the rich grass in their paddock and seem to be growing bigger each day! The first mini honks have also started - in a few weeks it will be no more tweeting and a lot more honking. Do not be afeard, this paddock is full of noises!

And the geese have just had some new neighbours move in... 71 lambs! Both sides of the fence are pretty intrigued by the residents...

Neighbourhood Watch

So now that's geese, pigs, sheep and calves....what ever will be next for The Jolly Various Livestock Co? Oh yeah, the turkeys arriving in two weeks time! Uh oh!

                                                                 

Hello there! Well we've had a busy few days since our last post so there's plenty to tell you about in this one!

 At last the sun has shone on Jolly Goose HQ and the beetroot is loving it - as are we! The only problem is the gastropod invasion we've endured recently......luckily we've got an army of toads and frogs in the garden to fend them off our lovely veg! We're counting on you Captain Croak!

The beautiful Cilla has been sunning herself this week with the other piggies. Look at her peering over the fence - she's probably planning an escape so she can seek and destroy the beetroot - naughty Cilla pig! We're looking for a handsome husband for Cilla at the moment so she can have some lovely littlies so if anyone knows a brooding boar please get in touch - though Cilla is quite the catch so only the best please. Mr Darcy Pig - we know you're out there!

In honour of Cilla and her chums, I donned my apron and baked some of these piggy biscuits.....though with all the hype surrounding the Olympics a few turned out as Olympigs! The Olympigs went down a storm on Twitter (we're super technical .....!) and ITV and Channel 4 Food retweeted the pigture (too far?). It's only a matter of time until Cilla runs for Primeminister at this rate.....

Pigs aside, the sheep are having a fantastic time out in the fields. This year's lambs are just about up to weight, so if you fancy tucking in to a classic roast lamb or maybe spicing the barbie up with some delicious lamb joints, just email or phone us (details are on the right hand side)

Talking of the hard sell, (sorry!) we have finally erected Miranda The Marketing Sheep! She's patriotic in red, white and blue so hopefully she'll send Team GB some luck and sell some sausages! If you're here because of Miranda, thank you! We hope you enjoy hearing about our little adventures around the farm!

Next week - Geese, Sausages and Harvest update!!!

Hello! Sorry we've been so AWOL recently but as you can see - we've had our hands full! Here are our newest lovelies - 7 adorable calves! This is Hungry Horace - he's posing for the camera!

This is Horace's chum, Joey.

The bigger boys aren't sure what to make of the silly little ones though...............not impressed!

Christmas is just around the corner!

Christmas is just under a month away, so we're all getting ready for Father Christmas here at JollyGoose.




Thank you to everyone who has placed an order so far, but don't worry, its not too late to order your JollyGoose, as there are still some available for that extra special Christmas treat!




Here are the JollyGeese just a few days ago, quenching their morning thirst before another busy day parading around the paddock eating grass, not to mention keeping an eye on those pesky piglets next door!

Your JollyGoose will be hand delivered with a smile, at a time convenient to you, by Lucy or I just before Christmas.

The JollyGoose arrives boxed and ready for the oven, with or without giblets, so if you are considering a change from Turkey this year, please feel free to call or email your questions.

Honky Honky!

Welcome to another year of Jolly Goose!

It's time to get the silly hat out again, I can’t believe how the time has flown!


Having sold out last year, with thanks to everyone who had a Jolly Goose for Christmas, and from the positive feedback received, we have decided to plunge head first into getting ready for Christmas 2011!

This year we have a few more geese to offer and as you can see by the photo they have become happily settled in their paddock over the summer, marching around keeping an eye on me, and the piglets (take a look at the pig page for photos)!


Lucy and I wanted to offer something really special for this Christmas’ customers, so as well as a jolly Christmas Goose, we would also like to offer you a box, full of seasonal vegetables for your Christmas dinner. All will be delivered to your door by us, before the big day, so all you need to worry about is the presents (well almost anyway!).


Because we can assure you of the highest standards for the geese, you can rest assured that all of the vegetables within the box will be fresh and locally sourced. More on that to follow shortly…