Here at Unthank Farm, we've been on a mission towards sustainability since 2015.

As a farm that's been family-owned and family-run for over 500 years, it's important to us that our sustainability focuses on the 'future of farming', as well as that of our rich heritage as a traditional, small British farm.

Led by me, Charlotte, and my husband, Dan, we run our farm in a way that works with our natural surroundings, not against, stripping it back to the basics and caring for our animals at every step of the way.

We often hear of other farms, and businesses in general, talking of their 'sustainable practices', but so often organisations don't reveal the detail. So, in this blog, we'll be telling you exactly that.

1. Waste management

The farming industry is, generally, quite wasteful - not only in Britain, but across the world. Globally, it's calculated that 15% of food produce is wasted before it even leaves the farm. Much of this can be attributed to bad crops, pests and energy usage. 

As a small farm, however, we choose to only keep a small herd of Dexter cattle, sheep and pigs, enabling us to rear them at a sustainable, small scale. Putting it simple, we only produce enough for what we can ethically manage and maintain, and sell all of our products independently to the local community.

In addition to this, we also always ensure that our meat produce is put to ethical use, and never wasted. In creating products such as Bone Broth and Nose-to-Tail meat boxes, as well as using sheep's wool for cushions and furnishings, we strive to get the very most, and best, out of everything we produce.

2. Farming without fertilisers or chemical sprays 

Many farmers use chemicals to 'enhance' their crop and deter pesticides. However, the result of this often leads to chemicals getting into the water, land and food at the farm. 

With all of our livestock at Unthank grazing on fields of grass, wheat and barley, we never use fertilisers or chemical sprays. Not only does this not damage the soil and ecosystem of the farm, but it also works towards producing meat that is healthier for us to consume and richer in essential minerals and vitamins.

3. Grass-fed and naturally-reared

As well as our cattles grazing on natural grass, our free-range pigs also roam free in the field and routing around in the mud. This makes all the difference to the taste, as well as quality of life. Pigs are not designed to live on just grass alone, so we do have to supplement with feed. But not just any feed, we grow our own. We plant it, grow it, nurture it, cut the crop and then feed it to our pigs.

From field-to-fork, we know each of our products inside out – because we care. Whilst you could say this is ‘the future of farming’, to us at Unthank it’s about going back to the beginnings. A time when farming wasn’t on a mass-scale, but ran by the community, for the community.