Ronnie and his family farm Uradale organically with SOPA (Scottish Organic Producers Association) Membership. They are dedicated to the heritage breeds indigenous to the Shetland Isles : Native Shetland Lamb, beef from the Shetland Cow (‘Kye’) and organic Native Shetland Wool. RBST Award Winner 2022 Farm of the Year.

Their organic wool and yarns are simply stunning and look out for the annual Shetland Wool Week. Uradale is a very special place where organic heritage breed farming, food production & natural fibres are all intrinsic to their sustainable business: from the natural grazing of heaths & moors producing fine flavours, to the organic yarns from which Viveka creates outstanding patterns to inspire you. In addition to their online wool shop, they are stockists of our book “Meadows: The Swedish Farmer & The Scottish Cook”

Native Shetland Lamb happily exist in the most rugged land and extreme climate but their dainty size and slow growing characteristics make them unfashionable and less profitable in the eyes of commercial agribusiness. We have already seen many breeds disappearing this way.

Native Shetland Lamb is successfully marketed from the islands to a worldwide audience and its distinctive flavour is superb. It is protected under the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) scheme, meaning that true Native Shetland Lamb must be born, reared and finished in the Shetland Islands. This is also true of their naturally dyed organic yarns, sought after across the world.

The taste of their meat is second to none. The Eunsons at Uradale Farm graze their animals on native heath and moorland resulting in a fine flavoured traditionally reared heritage breed.  These old breeds are dainty in size but what they lack in bulk they more than make up for in flavour. They are traditionally reared to roam the open land, fed only by nature’s herbs and spiced with local flora. Mutton and Reestit Mutton are also produced here, subject to seasonal availability.

The Shetland Kye is another heritage breed, a beautiful animal with distinctive characteristics as you can see and an absolutely superb flavour of beef. Shetland Kye Cattle are a small, well-proportioned, dual-purpose breed, with a small head and short inward-curving horns. This breed has been present in the Shetland Islands for the past 3000 years. Traditionally known as ‘The House Cow’, the Shetland Kye played an essential role in the life of the crofting family. They make their own Kye Sassermaet, featured on BBC, made specially from their own Shetland Kye – the real deal & delicious.

The increasing trend for ‘improvement & developing’ saw the importation of larger mainland breeds to cross breed with native stock so the number of pure-bred Shetland cattle significantly reduced.

http://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/shetland-cattle/

Uradale Native Shetland Lamb, Shetland Kye, Sassermaet & Reestit Mutton are all on Slow Food’s Ark of Taste.

Jakob Eunson pictured at Challans Festival, with Scottish Food Guide, in France selling their produce. Also check out the lovely recipe here