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Peter and Hazel Thornton run a 25 acre smallholding
in Longsleddale, about 7 miles North of Kendal. They currently
run 30 Lleyn ewes, 11 head of Dexter cattle and 4 sows - 3
middle White and 1 Kune Kune.
"Just enough to provide lots of work, but not enough
to make any money", said Peter.
At a time when slow food is becoming more popular, Peter
was thinking about the possibility of setting up a fast food
enterprise … and a course at Westmorland Agricultural
Society provided the impetus for the "Cumberland and
Westmorland Sausage Company" sponsored by LEADER+ and
Distinctly Cumbrian.
With the help of LEADER+, Peter and Hazel attended the Kendal
Medieval market, a Scottish pop festival and the famous Beatles
weekend in Liverpool with their new company. They finished
the season where it all started, at Lane Farm for the Westmorland
County Show.
Hazel said:
"We really enjoyed meeting customers and promoting the
value of good Cumbrian food"
Peter said:
"Our 1st season taught us a lot. We discovered that
a successful fast food business needs:
1. A first class product
2. A pitch on which to sell the product
3. Lots of hard work
Our target is to move towards the situation where we can
make a living from 25 acres. We can only do that if we 'own
the whole process' from production to retail".
This they hope to achieve, with help from LEADER+.
Please click on the links below to view other
projects of the month:
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