Vintage year for local lamb

DALTON farmer Anthony Steel has declared 2025 a “vintage year” for his shh’annu lamb.

He explained it’s to do with a mix of good weather earlier in the year, the right breed and the feed.

Anthony, who farms at Kirkwood, admitted he’s being ‘slightly tongue in cheek’, but added: “If vineyards can do so for great wines, I can’t see why farmers can’t declare vintage years for meat.

“It must be partly because of the great weather this spring/summer, but there are many factors that make meat taste good. Age of the animal, hanging of the carcass, the breed, and what they’ve eaten. Those are the top reasons out of the ten we work on.”

He backed up his statement by also revealing that Shh’annu has been awarded three gold stars by “Great Taste” 2025, their highest accolade.

It’s also proving popular with Michelin Star and top restaurants around the UK, including Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester in London, Ynyshir, Machynlleth in Wales, and Glenturret at Crieff.

Anthony said: “Shh’annu has been regarded as the best in the UK, for a four years now, and 2025 really is a vintage year.”