... FARMING DIVERSITY ...
INVICTA NATURAL MEATS ... LEAD THE WAY
Invicta Natural Meats and Court Farm Quality Butchers, under the ownership of Andrew Lingham and family (Peter and Jean, Andrew's mother and father, Amanda, Andrew's wife and two sons, Alex (2) and Harry (6)), believe that diversification has proved to be the main reason why Invicta Natural Meats has been so successful.
Court Farm, Upper Halling, has been associated with the Lingham family for more than 100 years, and occupies approximately 900 acres of land - 550 acres used for arable farming and 450 acres for pasture land. growing cereals, oil seed rape, peas and linseed crops on the fertile land close to the North Downs and the Pilgrims Way. andrew has seen many changes in the farming industry over the years.
'We realised, a long time ago, that the profit margins we were working with would not sustain the family and decided to diversify, attending farmers' markets and developing and renovating one of our barns to serve as a shop and butchery for our own products. We had complete faith in the quality of our meat and bought-in products but we knew that, to be successful, we would need to offer the public more choice and variety to encourage them to visit us time and time again.
'Rearing our own beef herd with 80 suckler cows and buying in lamb and venison to bring-on, ensured we had an ample supply of meat which encouraged us to make contact with the local Baker and Pie Maker, Chris Beeney of Strood, to ascertain whether he would be able to produce a selection of home-made meat pies for us. After a period of research and development , we agreed on an ideal range that we hoped would be popular, and so it has been successfully proved!
The Court Farm Butchery and Farm Shop is a veritable Aladdin's Cave of local food and accessories consisting of a variety of fruit, vegetables, salad products, fruit juices, ice creams, confectionery items, jams, marmalades, sauces, spices, pickles and pates.
'We supply our own butchered meat in handy freezer packs including: Beef, lamb, venison, locally produced free range pork, chicken, cured and smoked hams, burgers, sausages, spit roasts and other products - ideal for barbecues . . . offering the complete BBQ service including the hire of the equipment, or catering for you with your chosen event - doing the cooking for you!
Next on the horizon for Andrew is the launch of a new range of ready-made meals including, amongst other delightful selections, curries and chillies using locally sourced products in the preparation.