The clocks have gone back, we have less daylight, and the cold weather is upon us! I always wish summer was as punctual as autumn & winter.

The farm has been at its busiest recently, which is certainly a good thing despite the reduced sleeping hours. The butchery is finally earning its keep with all our produce being processed on site now. I finally caved in a got a pair of helping hands in the form of Tom, who’s been a blessing to us since he started on the farm. I’ve been able to take a step back from the farm and spend a bit more time in the butchery.

We’ve recently had an unruly mob of teenage ginger ninjas that have been causing havoc on the farm. They weren’t the best in their fence training lessons. We introduced them to another group of obedient ninjas and within hours, they ran through the electrified fence. This behaviour was quickly picked up by the others so we now have around 50 ninjas running around free range across all paddocks. I keep telling myself (and Tom) that I’ve been here before and I shall not be defeated!

The worst part of their unruly behaviour is that they’ve been ending up on Whiteley Lane, a fairly fast road next to our fields. The falling leaves have exposed a few holes in the fence which the pigs happily explored. As a result of this, I’ve become the headline on the local Facebook pages. “Flavian, I think your pigs are out again!”. “Not Flavian again!”. It’s been hectic but for the most part, locals have been understanding and helpful, with offers to help us fence and even people ushering the ginger yobs back in when they get out. The fence is now fixed (bodged) and the ninjas are respecting it…for now!

Noah’s six sheep and the goats thought it was good idea to go through our neighbour’s garden last week and end up on Whiteley Lane. A phone call from Nikki alerting me of the situation brought back the sickening feeling in my stomach. Luckily, Nikki, our neighbours Brosna & Kelly had managed to push them back in to the paddock. Tom had also seen the messages on Facebook and rushed over to start mending the fence. The naughty bunch are now in the shed, enjoying the haylage we made in the summer and waiting for us to fix the fence. They also missed Storm Bert which is handy.

Aside from all that chaos, everything else is ticking along nicely. A few highlights are:

• The online shop has never been busier – your support is highly appreciated, THANK YOU!
• We did a Christmas market in Ropley last week which was very good. Plenty of returning customers from last year.
• We now have a billy goat called Eddie, thanks to our friends Adam and Eleri. We’re hoping to have a few kids bouncing around next Spring.
• Our latest piglets are growing well and have already started getting mischievous. They’re Tamworth x Duroc.

And finally, the Christmas market at Trenchmore has been cancelled this year. If any of our Sussex customers want any ginger ninja gammon, pigs in blankets, bacon, sausages and the rest, please don’t hesitate to order and we can arrange delivery to you before the big day!

P.s – for those of you thinking of having gammon for Christmas, we tried this recipe last week and it hit the spot. Happy cooking!

Honey & Mustard Glazed Gammon

1.2kg boneless gammon joint

2 bay leaves

1 tsp black peppercorns (I used Sichuan for a mild kick)

440ml dry apple cider

500ml water

For the glaze:

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp mustard (I used English which gave it a great flavour but wholegrain is also fine)

1 tbsp brown sugar

Add the apple cider, peppercorns, bay leaves in the slow cooker with the gammon joint, make sure it is almost covered in liquid. Cook for 4-5 hours on high or 6-7 on low, check the centre temperature which should be 68C.

Preheat the oven to 200C (180 fan). Remove gammon from slow cooker and allow to cool a little, cut off the string, and cut off the skin leaving a thin layer of fat. Carefully score the fat in a diamond pattern taking care not to cut the meat and cover all over with the glaze.

Set the glazed ham on a wire rack inside a roasting pan, cook for 10 mins or until the glaze is caramelised. Rest for 10 mins before slicing.