Sarah Barnes brought her first Red Poll cattle to Hall Farm in Tasburgh, near Long Stratton, as a hobby in 2008 - with two animals purchased from farmer-turned-chef John Kenny.

The award-winning Hopeham herd is now 180-strong, a number swelled further by new calves arriving this week.

Ruth Sands-Barnes with a new calf in the Hopeham Herd of Red Poll cattle (Image: Sonya Duncan)

This growth was initially driven by demand for the cattle's conservation grazing abilities, which have been put to use on wildlife reserves and environmental stewardship schemes.

But with more and more customers enjoying the beef, sold from a freezer at the farm gate, the family took an opportunity to open the Farmer Barnes' Butchery in Hethersett in 2019.

It now has a turnover of around £600,000 and employs six people - including Mrs Barnes' daughter Ruth Sands-Barnes, who manages the butchery, working alongside her husband Mark.

"We have certainly future proofed our business," said Mrs Barnes.

"If we didn't have the shop now, we couldn't employ Ruth, the cattle numbers wouldn't be where they are, we'd have scaled it all back down again, and it would be very much just a hobby herd of cattle.

"I think we realised quite early on that there was a demand for the Red Poll beef because of the sales at the farm gate, and we just thought the only way to do this is to actually have a butcher shop.

"It has given Ruth something to take on, something she can get her teeth into and grow.

"The public loves hearing the story of the farm, and meeting the farmer. I think it's become fashionable that people want to know where their meat has come from.

"And, for the first time, we were able to say our beef is really good quality so we believe this should be the price for it. It's been revolutionary for our business.

"It has almost all happened by accident. It was only ever supposed to be a hobby, but we're really blessed that our hobby has grown into an actual business.

"And I think that's testament to the fact that whatever we put our mind to, we want to do it to the best of our ability - and that means always looking for the next thing and always looking to grow."

The Hopeham herd of Red Poll cattle at Hall Farm in Tasburgh (Image: Sonya Duncan)

Mrs Barnes initially chose Red Poll cattle mainly for the taste of its beef, but also for its appearance, temperament and heritage as a native breed rooted in East Anglia.

"We like the regionality of them," she said. "They're from Norfolk and Suffolk, and they are one of the old native breeds. So that's why we got them, and our herd grew initially because of the environmental grazing - grazing ruminants are a fantastic ecological tool."

The farm sells some breeding bulls, and the herd also contains show animals, including the Red Poll breed champion at last year's Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Shows - local events that offer another opportunity to meet customers and talk about the cattle and their beef.

Ruth Sands-Barnes with her husband Mark at Farmer Barnes' Butchery in Hethersett (Image: Chris Hill)

The butchery opened in April 2019, initially with Mrs Barnes and one butcher behind the counter, while her daughter joined in 2021 - despite having originally trained as a hairdresser.

Mrs Sands-Barnes, who is now the butchery manager, said: "It's definitely a unique selling point for us, the fact that every day of the week there is a farmer standing behind the cabinet.

"The customers love that I can turn around and say: 'Well, I know this animal, and I know exactly how it was treated'. And they love the fact that we'll show them videos and photos and they'll say: 'You really do care about your animals'."

She added that the butchery recently quadrupled the size of its walk-in refrigerator to ensure there was enough room to hang beef properly for 21 days.

The farm, owned by Mrs Barnes' husband Gerald, has always been open to new opportunities, with 80 acres of solar panels commissioned in 2014, and 200 acres of arable land put into Farm Business Tenancies to allow the family to concentrate on the cattle and butchery.

Sarah Barnes and her daughter Ruth Sands-Barnes with the Hopeham Herd of Red Poll cattle, based in Tasburgh (Image: Sonya Duncan)

The Hopeham herd of Red Poll cattle at Hall Farm in Tasburgh (Image: Sonya Duncan)

Ruth Sands-Barnes with the Hopeham Herd of Red Poll cattle (Image: Sonya Duncan)

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