THE FARM
Local. Sustainable. Ethical.
Ethical, sustainable farming at Little Church Farm in Mattingley, Hampshire. Take a look behind how we run our farm and what makes our sheep so special.
Sheep Farming in Hampshire
All of our grazing was on a casual basis, which can make it very difficult to manage the flock and often caused a lot more work, with operating miles of electric fencing and having to move sheep around the countryside.
Welcome to Little Church Farm
In the mid-2000s I worked as an Artificial Insemination Technician, and I used to regularly visit Little Church Farm to serve the cows. So to find myself back here was slightly surreal.
Breathing Life Back Into the Farm
Some days it feels like we are living in The Darling Buds of May. As well as the sheep, we now have cows, pigs, chickens, ducks and even a pair of miniature donkeys.
Local, Sustainable and Ethical
We do not use any form of chemical fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides to manage our land. We do our best to keep everything as natural as possible, introducing organic matter back to the soil in the form of farmyard manure, as well as the use of seaweed-based organic soil conditioners. We do our best to keep our stocking rates low, and we manage weeds in the traditional way by cutting them.
Frequently Asked Questions
We are based at Little Church Farm in Mattingley, Hampshire, close to the Berkshire border, and we also have grazing in Surrey.
We don’t own our farm, but since November 2024 we have been the tenants of Little Church Farm, a small 85-acre former dairy farm in Mattingley, through Hampshire County Council. Before that, all of our grazing was rented on a casual basis.
We are not certified organic, but we farm as naturally as possible. We don’t use any chemical fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides on our land. Instead we build up the soil with farmyard manure and seaweed-based organic soil conditioners, keep our stocking rates low and manage weeds the traditional way, by cutting them.
We certainly do. We supply lamb to restaurants, gastro pubs and butchers. Find out more about supplying the catering trade.
We certainly do. You are welcome to order whole or half lambs, butchered however you require. Just get in touch to discuss what you need.
Our own meat, eggs and honey are sold at Little Church Farm Shop, our family farm shop in Mattingley, open every Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm.
