Our Meat Story

In 2016, in the face of an inexorably challenging landscape for independent agriculture, Ballakelly Farm took a big risk. 

We established an online and mobile butcher’s shop, with new facilities, an eye-catching brand and an intention to craft the highest quality produce to sell, at markets and by doorstep delivery, directly to the public. 

With it we devised a catering arm, centering on a shiny-roaster oven on wheels: a hog roaster, fit to feed exceptional pulled pork baps to crowds at large scale events, such as Cyclefest, and the IOM Southern Agricultural Show.

This ‘farmer to fork’ dream was a stride onto new terrain for a traditional wholesale farm like Ballakelly. Now, Ballakelly Farm the retailer serves many local consumer and restaurant customers, and regularly fires up our two shiny new roasters for parties and fayres.  

But the story begins much earlier. It starts with the herds farmed at Ballakelly for decades – with the distinctions passed down through animal generations, and our own farming practices that determine the quality and character of our produce as it appears on your dinner table.

Click the animal to learn more about it!

Sheep

Cows

Pigs

Sheep

Back in the 1970’s, Ballakelly Farm’s Suffolk sheep were awarded best in the UK. Over time, Farmer Al has put his own hoof print on the flock, and mixed in that very same Suffolk calibre with Texel and Bluefaced Leicester breed traits.

Ballakelly lamb and mutton are robust, lean and powerful, with rich and well-defined melting fats. This is because sheep graze happily on grass in a rotational system of fields that are themselves conditioned by the local weather and environment.

Ballakelly mutton is central to our minimal waste ethos because our lovely ewes become marvellous mutton. Mutton is darker and stronger than lamb, and the process of dry aging, breaking down and refining the structure of the meat in a humidity controlled environment – usually for four weeks – means mutton can be as tender as spring lamb while offering a depth of flavour.

Our sheep are crucial to our planned regenerative land practices. Ballakelly Farm is unusual for the Isle of Man in raising sheep, pigs and cows together on one farm. It means we are ideally placed to rotate which animals when and where, so that we can utilise back into the land from what the animals give us.

Watch Ma Ma Ranson’s tutorial for mutton mince shepherd’s pie

Cows

The Ballakelly cow is a blend of Charolais, Limousin and Aberdeen Angus which help maintain medium-sized cows of manageable weights for the mothers. The Angus also introduces a natural sturdiness and a coat and hide suited for the Manx climate.

Our cattle run in groups of around 30 – meaning optimal ‘mob’ grazing potential during spring and summer, and are indoors during winter feeding on home-grown silage and cereals blended with peas for additional protein.

Growing the grains and peas we feed our animals means we don’t have to import food, which significantly offsets the methane emissions of the Ballakelly herd.

Our animals develop proper structure, size and fat content that results in beautiful marbling, tenderness and fulsome flavour.

We dry age some of our beef which significantly enhances texture and taste, for genuinely outstanding depth and melting softness. It takes time: four weeks, generally – but we think it’s worth it.

Watch Cooking with Ma Ma Ranson for her slow-cooked shin beef casserole with Guinness and mushrooms.

Pigs

The Ballakelly pig is born and bred on the Isle of Man. Blending aspects of the Yorkshire Large White and Landrace breeds with the less common Duroc, it is a unique and distinctive animal, raised to respond to the specific features of its environment.

This is important because, as with all of our animals, we want the Ballakelly pig to thrive in nature. Unlike in intensive pig farming, where animals are bred to be smooth, pink and suited to the indoors, the Ballakelly pig is fit for living intuitively, inside and out. The Duroc characteristics of a larger frame, a seasonal coat and an auburn hide that doesn’t burn in the sun make ours a robust, hardy pig that chooses to spend time outdoors even in harsher Manx weather.

Unlike on industrial farms, our sows have piglets in smaller, less uniform numbers. This makes for relaxed mums and healthy babies, living stress-free lives from their first day. 

Our pigs eat barley that we grow ourselves. It is an advantage to grow our own crops for feed, and to utilise the animals and how they bring nutrients to the land as part of our growing cycle. This is old school, but very sustainable. As such, the local land and climate can determine the character of our meat; Ballakelly pigs are as Manx as the hills, and our produce has low food miles in every possible sense.

Nutritious natural diets, peaceful lifestyles make for pork that genuinely is bursting with flavour and taste. People tell us that Ballakelly pork tastes ‘like how pork used to taste’ – that is, less uniform, with juices and fats that melt and crackle as they should, and a greater depth and variety of flavour, within and across cuts. As part of our minimum waste ethos, even our sow mother pigs become remarkable meat. Loin bacon from sows tastes richer than classic bacon, with a distinct fat make-up and wider structure – which our customers at the markets actively seek out for this reason.

Watch this Cooking with Ma Ma Ranson video for her delicious and surprising crumb-topped, roasted ‘Fred Flinstone’ pork chop with rock-salt crackling

PIGS

The Ballakelly pig is born and bred on the Isle of Man. Blending aspects of the Yorkshire Large White and Landrace breeds with the less common Duroc, it is a unique and distinctive animal, raised to respond to the specific features of its environment.

This is important because, as with all of our animals, we want the Ballakelly pig to thrive in nature. Unlike in intensive pig farming, where animals are bred to be smooth, pink and suited to the indoors, the Ballakelly pig is fit for living intuitively, inside and out. The Duroc characteristics of a larger frame, a seasonal coat and an auburn hide that doesn’t burn in the sun make ours a robust, hardy pig that chooses to spend time outdoors even in harsher Manx weather.

Unlike on industrial farms, our sows have piglets in smaller, less uniform numbers. This makes for relaxed mums and healthy babies, living stress-free lives from their first day. 

Our pigs eat barley that we grow ourselves. It is an advantage to grow our own crops for feed, and to utilise the animals and how they bring nutrients to the land as part of our growing cycle. This is old school, but very sustainable. As such, the local land and climate can determine the character of our meat; Ballakelly pigs are as Manx as the hills, and our produce has low food miles in every possible sense.

Nutritious natural diets, peaceful lifestyles make for pork that genuinely is bursting with flavour and taste. People tell us that Ballakelly pork tastes ‘like how pork used to taste’ – that is, less uniform, with juices and fats that melt and crackle as they should, and a greater depth and variety of flavour, within and across cuts. As part of our minimum waste ethos, even our sow mother pigs become remarkable meat. Loin bacon from sows tastes richer than classic bacon, with a distinct fat make-up and wider structure – which our customers at the markets actively seek out for this reason.

Watch this Cooking with Ma Ma Ranson video for her delicious and surprising crumb-topped, roasted ‘Fred Flinstone’ pork chop with rock-salt crackling

COWS

The Ballakelly cow is a blend of Charolais, Limousin and Aberdeen Angus which help maintain medium-sized cows of manageable weights for the mothers. The Angus also introduces a natural sturdiness and a coat and hide suited for the Manx climate.

Our cattle run in groups of around 30 – meaning optimal ‘mob’ grazing potential during spring and summer, and are indoors during winter feeding on home-grown silage and cereals blended with peas for additional protein.

Growing the grains and peas we feed our animals means we don’t have to import food, which significantly offsets the methane emissions of the Ballakelly herd.

Our animals develop proper structure, size and fat content that results in beautiful marbling, tenderness and fulsome flavour.

We dry age some of our beef which significantly enhances texture and taste, for genuinely outstanding depth and melting softness. It takes time: four weeks, generally – but we think it’s worth it.

Watch Cooking with Ma Ma Ranson for her slow-cooked shin beef casserole with Guinness and mushrooms.

SHEEP

Back in the 1970’s, Ballakelly Farm’s Suffolk sheep were awarded best in the UK. Over time, Farmer Al has put his own hoof print on the flock, and mixed in that very same Suffolk calibre with Texel and Bluefaced Leicester breed traits.

Ballakelly lamb and mutton are robust, lean and powerful, with rich and well-defined melting fats. This is because sheep graze happily on grass in a rotational system of fields that are themselves conditioned by the local weather and environment.

Ballakelly mutton is central to our minimal waste ethos because our lovely ewes become marvellous mutton. Mutton is darker and stronger than lamb, and the process of dry aging, breaking down and refining the structure of the meat in a humidity controlled environment – usually for four weeks – means mutton can be as tender as spring lamb while offering a depth of flavour.

Our sheep are crucial to our planned regenerative land practices. Ballakelly Farm is unusual for the Isle of Man in raising sheep, pigs and cows together on one farm. It means we are ideally placed to rotate which animals when and where, so that we can utilise back into the land from what the animals give us.

Watch Ma Ma Ranson’s tutorial for mutton mince shepherd’s pie