Where it all started
We are Chris and Louise Elkington, husband and wife team from Gelston Lamb. We met in 2008 at Young Farmers. Louise had 2 pet sheep which were kept from her parent’s small flock when they sold up. We used a local farmer’s tup to put these in lamb for ourselves.
In 2010 we decided that this could be a way we could farm in our own right as buying or renting our own farm just wasn’t going to be feasible. So we went to a big sale in Hawes, Yorkshire and purchased 30 ewe lambs. We were lucky that Louise’s parents’ arable farm had a few permanent grass fields which were unused, so with that and grazing little rented paddocks behind houses, we ran our little flock.
Since then we have slowly added to our flock increasing numbers. During this time we sold all our lamb direct to the public in half and whole freezer lambs, which is still a big part of our business today.
It’s extremely rewarding to sell direct as it's great getting back feedback from the people actually eating the end product.
By 2014 we had built the flock to around 100 breeding ewes but wanted to increase further to make it a more full time business. To do this we needed to increase revenue. This is when we decided to go into catering at local shows, events and farmers markets.
Our first event was at Corby Glen Sheep Fair. We sold our homemade mint and Moroccan lamb burgers and they went down a treat with many people wanting to buy fresh to take home too!
Since then we have attended many events and private functions.
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In 2016 Louise’s Dad sadly passed away unexpectedly which was a huge shock to all the family and he is very much missed. Both he and Louise’s mum have played a great part of helping us get to where we are today. With Louise’s Dads’ passing, it meant the arable farm was no longer a viable option for Louise’s Mum, so we took the next step in our journey by renting land off her and grassing it down to further increase sheep numbers. We are currently at 500 breeding ewes but would like to get to 600 or more one day.
In 2019 we became one of the AHDB Strategic Farms which has been an amazing experience for us so far and a wonderful opportunity. We have met many new people and have learnt so much already. It has made us look at our grass management and we are now rotational grazing and introducing herbal leys which is all a benefit to the environment.
Our dream since we started Gelston Lamb was to have our own on farm butchery which in September 2019 finally became reality with environmental health-giving us a 5* rating. Having the butchery on site has meant we have been able to develop and perfect our recipes for our burgers and sausages. We can also ensure that the quality of our produce is always to the highest of standards.
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Since having the butchery on the farm we have won the Taste of Excellence Producer of the Year 2021 and we now also have 4 products with Great Taste Stars with our lamb racks gaining 3 stars which is their top award that was only awarded to around 1.5% of products.
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In 2023 we started having Pop up shops once a month at the farm. These have been a tremendous success, and we are now proud to be able to offer our award winning lamb, along with Free Range Local Pork, Lincolnshire Beef, Free Range Chicken and when it's in season local venison and game birds. We also have lots of other local produce available from homemade pies, free range eggs, Bloomsbury bread, Cote Hill Cheese, local honey, jams and fresh fruit and vegetables. Everything you need to make a delicious meal!
To keep up to date with dates for Pop Up Shops please sign up to our newsletter.
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We are a real farming family and our 2 young children love helping with the sheep and at lambing time.
We are on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as we like to keep our followers and customers up to date with everything we do. We think it’s very important that people know where their food comes from and how it got onto their plates.
Useful Information
Sustainable Farming
We are in the process of trying to make our farm carbon neutral/negative. We adhere to strict stewardship programmes commissioned by Natural England. We have also planted new hedgerows and trees on the farm, put wildflower covers in various fields which all promote biodiversity and is a haven for local wildlife.
Our customers frequently say that our lamb reminds them of ‘how meat used to taste’ and we believe that this is because we do things in a sustainable way, far from the intensely farmed commercial produce you would find in modern supermarkets
Delivery
Once you have decided what delicious lamb produce you wish to purchase, add them to your basket and checkout. You can select your delivery method at checkout. Based on your address details the correct available options will be shown.
Click and Collect
Orders to be collected from the farm on a Tuesday 3pm-5pm &
Wednesday 9am – 6pm
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Please indicate a preferred day and a rough guide of time in the notes section. If you can’t collect on the allocated days please send us an email to info@gelstonlamb.co.uk and we can try to arrange an alternative time.
Local delivery up to 15 miles from the farm £3
(calculated from the delivery address)
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Local delivery up to 25 miles from the farm £5
(calculated from the delivery address)
Courier for England & Wales - £10
Please email us at info@gelstonlamb.co.uk for a postage quote if you are in Scotland, N Ireland, The Isle of Man, The Scottish Islands, The Isles of Scilly, Eire, or the Channel Islands
Unfortunately, we are unable to send goods beyond the U.K.
We use DPD to deliver our lamb nationwide, we chose them for 2 reasons.
The first being that they are a really efficient company and do a great job delivering our parcels quickly and secondly they are carbon neutral. DPD’s ‘Driving Change’ is helping to reduce emissions year on year by investing in hundreds of EV vehicles to decarbonise the DPD fleet, alongside Smart Urban Delivery and Innovative Entrepreneurship strategies to reduce miles per parcel. To offset remaining emissions, DPD finance renewable and cleaner energy production projects by purchasing carbon credits whilst respecting the most rigorous international standards
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Waste Reduction
Here at Gelston Lamb we have taken so much time and care in producing high welfare meat that we believe nothing should be wasted. This is why anything left which is unsuitable for human consumption goes into dog food.
Packaging
An ongoing goal here at Gelston Lamb is to reduce our plastic use. We are currently trialling new materials which have a more environmentally friendly footprint and we are fully committed to constantly invest in and innovate, including return and reuse of packaging wherever possible.
Parcels which are delivered by courier are all sent in cardboard boxes using Woolcool insulating sheets and reusable ice cells. A plastic-free future is what we aim for and we will keep you updated on our progress.
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Regenerative Farming
The soil on our farm is also very important to us. After years of arable farming, our soil has had so much taken away from it so we are now giving back. Through careful rotational grazing of our flock, we are giving the land time to regenerate topsoil, not only storing carbon but helping to promote fertile soil which leads to a healthy environment.
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Fresh Not Frozen
All our meat comes to you fresh, never frozen. This ensures that our meat is ready for home cooking or freezing. We deliver locally ourselves every Wednesday or Nationwide delivery to your door every Thursday.
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