About What We Do

We are two small farms, dedicated to animal welfare and environmentally-friendly farming.

Both farms (Ravensnest Cottage Farm and Westwood Farm) produce 100% grass-fed, grass finished, rare breed beef. Our Belted Galloways are a traditional native breed, who are nurtured and cared for their whole lives. They graze in fields rich in wildflowers and nutritious herbs.

We are committed to maintaining small herds of contented, healthy cattle which can live a natural outdoor life.  Their grazing supports and enhances the wildlife on the land and at the same time we produce 100% pasture-fed meat of the highest quality.  Our small herds of Belted Galloway cattle graze outdoors all year round on traditional pastures. The grassland provides a rich variety of herbs which helps to maintain naturally healthy animals and produces meat of a flavour that is second to none. The cattle in return sustain and enhance the grassland, making it home to insects, birds and other wildlife that also thrive in the tall hedges, woodland and wetland that we manage.  Calves are born in the fields, under our watchful eye, and spend their entire lives there.  When we produce meat, we personally transport the animals individually to a small local butchery where the cattle are slaughtered in the most stress-free surroundings possible. 

Ravensnest Cottage Farm is fully organic and Soil Association registered.  Westwood Farm is not currently registered with the Soil Association, but upholds the same values of animal welfare and standards of environmental conservation.  At both farms we know all our cows by name, and visit them every day to make sure they are thriving. 

If you want to eat beef, this is an opportunity to make a conscious decision to choose a product that is not only better for you nutritionally, but also has a minimal impact on our planet. If you want to be involved in supporting farms that produce some of the most ethically reared beef in the country, give Peak Pasture Farms a call and we will be pleased to tell you more.

07773 651927

WESTWOOD FARM

Westwood Farm is a family farm, with us, John and Helen at the helm. We have recently converted from continental cattle to our own native Belted Galloways.  

We have been working hard recently to make the farm the perfect home not just for our cattle but for wildlife too.  We have put the land into a Countryside Stewardship Scheme with the aim of allowing ground-nesting birds to return to the pastures.  We now have nesting lapwings, the rare beautiful birds that were such a common sight 50 years ago, but now struggling in the modern farm landscape and in need of help.

We also run a  regular programme of school visits with the local primary school, which allows the children to see farm life at first hand.   We believe that people should know where their meat comes from and provide the opportunity to see farming done in a more traditional, ethical way than the standard factory farmed meat of today.  

We also keep a flock of rare Derbyshire Redcap hens to give us a supply of free range hens eggs. 

Climate change is the biggest threat to our generation.  We all need to be aware of the implications of the decisions we make, no less when it comes to deciding what we eat.

As part of the Peak Pasture Farms ethos we have addressed our carbon impact and can point to a range of features that substantially reduce the carbon footprint of the beef we produce - so much so that we are confident it has the lowest impact possible.  We should all probably consume less meat, but more important is ensuring that when we do choose to eat meat it has the least impact on the planet possible.  By sourcing our beef we like to think you have made that choice wisely.

By comparison to the majority of commercial beef that comes from intensive farm systems and is finished on a high grain diet, our way of farming has a minimal impact.  

We never use high levels of petroleum-based fertiliser on the grassland, nor do we use blanket herbicide and pesticide applications.

We don't feed our cattle with grain - ever.  Feeding grain to cattle is a waste of the planet's resources and adds significantly to the carbon footprint of the end product.

All farms use diesel to run their tractors but we keep our field operations to a minimum - we don't plough and reseed our fields, we don't run up and down with sprays.  We source everything locally and have very few food miles from farm to consumer.

We keep plastic use to a minimum and recycle wherever possible.

Soil Association research has shown that organic livestock systems overall bind more carbon into the soil than is emitted into the atmosphere.  This process of carbon sequestration is championed as an effective way to combat climate change.  If all UK farmland was converted to organic farming at least 1.3 million tonnes of carbon would be taken up by the soil each year - the equivalent of taking nearly 1 million cars off the road - according to Soil Association data.

When fresh beef is available subscribers will be emailed.

  Existing subscribers will be emailed when the next batch of beef is available.

At the moment we have closed our email list to new subscribers, as we have too much demand.