Farm of the Week: Young Yorkshire couple who want to bring goat meat back into fashion with sausage rolls, burgers and pasties

The seeds were sown way back, although Jas didn’t know it at the time, when she would visit the animal visitor centre Honeysuckle Farm in Bewholme near Hornsea as a child with her grandparents.

“I’ve always had a passion for animals from when my grandparents used to take me to Honeysuckle,” said Jas. “I used to gravitate to the goats whenever we went.

“They’re just so different and have great personalities. Sheep, pigs and cows will sometimes come to you, but goats will always come and are so affectionate, nice natured and inquisitive. It makes them easy to work with, they will follow you everywhere.

“It’s a shame that there are those who don’t seem to like them. Those that say that they escape or chew everything, but that’s not true at all. Once you get them to respect the fence or border you don’t get any of that.

Jas comes from north Hull, the Beverley High Road area, not a farming background but clearly those visits as a child made a lasting impression.

“I went to Bishop Burton College to study my animal management qualifications, levels 2 and 3. I wasn’t thinking about going into farming because I didn’t have any farming background, but Josh and I met there and he said you should do it, farming.

“So, I went on to a farming apprenticeship course at Askham Bryan College and worked on a pig farm for around a year doing farrowing, weaning, serving, all that sort of stuff. Meanwhile, Josh had 12 ewes on some land that his parents have.

“We got rid of the sheep last year to make way for the goats. We had Mules, Texel-cross- Mules and Suffolk-cross-Mules. We had lambed for four years, last year being the final time and our breeding flock had risen to just short of 100 ewes, but by then we had decided that if we were going to go properly into goats the sheep had to go.

The decision to go all into goats from where they live at Wicstun Cottage in Shiptonthorpe had been accelerated by Jas having taken on goat duties at Yorkshire Dairy Goats at Seaton Ross where she became in no doubt over the direction she wanted to take.

“It was a pleasure to work there and I still go back to help in the kidding shed. By being there I got to learn a lot more about goats, goat farming and where Josh and I could fit in as goat farmers.

“Josh has been amazing he’s done all our business plans and we have all of what we want to do mapped out. He has a degree from Askham Bryan College and works on an arable farm for Martinsons at Yokefleet.

“We decided that we would go down the route of producing goat’s meat and initially took on 100 billies from dairy goats, three years ago, using a polytunnel at home to rear them, but we have realised there is not much profit in it when you’ve paid for the milk powder to feed them all. We bought 30 from Skipton livestock market last year, but we have now chosen to breed ourselves.

“We thought that at least that way the nannies would feed their kids and there would be less reliance on powder. We bought 28 Boer cross Dairies from Kirsty Bellerby in Northallerton. I worked for her for a little time too, helping doing jobs around the farm and kidding.

“At the moment we have 36 as we also bought some from Vicky Wood, including some pedigree Boers, and also Charlotte Taylor who previously used Tophill Low Nature Reserve. Our aim for next year is to buy another 100 and eventually then grow the herd to around 300 nannies.

Jas said she finds the Boer-cross-Dairies work best for them in terms of shape and growth.

“I find Boer-cross-Dairies have a faster growth rate and their carcases are a bit better than either the few pure Boers or the dairy billies we’ve had. Those still produce a good carcase, just with a little more fat, but the Boer-cross-Dairies are exactly right on length and in the shoulder and leg.

“Goat meat is known for being a lean, healthy meat. Our goats kill out at 50 per cent and we send them for processing at anything over 40 kilos.

“I want to promote quality goat meat. It’s better known in foreign countries and I hope it will become better known here one day. It is such delicious meat, so nutritious and now many TV chefs are using it, and not just in traditional goat curries.

“There is such a lot more you can do with it. We do sausage rolls, we’ve started doing burgers, goat pasties and we’ve used it in scotch eggs.

“You can get a lot off one goat. We get the legs, the shoulder, steaks, chops and mince. It’s really worth it.

Jas and Josh now trade as J&J Farmers Goat Meats at Howden Shire Hall once a month and Anna’s Happy Kitchen is selling their produce. Jas said they intend to do far more.

“Anna (Longthorp) has been great. Every time we have a supply Anna makes a big deal out of it and in the future we are looking to have the goat herd kidding at two different times of year to maintain supply to our growing customer base and so that we can constantly meet demand that is certainly there and will be even greater once we attend other farmers markets and food fairs.

Jas maintains her love of goats as friends too, while also having become a goat farmer.

“My first goat was a pigmy goat and we are just starting to breed some pigmy goats for another market, supplying those who want them as pets.

“I’m definitely a farmer first and foremost. Don’t get me wrong, seeing them having to go was hard at first but at the end of the day they’ve got to pay their way and they are a business.

“Sometimes it’s hard not to get attached but at the end of the day their kids are going for meat, unless they are females, some of which we may keep as replacements to help expand the herd.

“And they have this great life at Tophill Low Nature Reserve where we have this amazing opportunity to graze.