We all need something to look forward to at this not very exciting time of year, so at Higher Hacknell we are going to celebrate Valentines Day with a special offer on our deliciously tender rump steak!.It's down in price by over 5 per kilo. Do take a look at our website which now has lots of new pictures of the range of meat cuts we offer. Our steaks have earned us numerous Taste of the West and Organic Food Awards over the years. Everyone has their favourite, whether it's the meltingly tender fillet steak or rib eye and rump which have more flavour, so take your pick.

I don't think we need records to know that it was the wettest January ever, but at least we are not suffering as badly as our Somerset neighbours. However the fields are very soggy, but as our land is steep, much of the water drains down off it, and is helped by the ditches running alongside. Tim spends a lot of time looking after the ditches and drains throughout the year, keeping them clear and digging them out which all costs time and money, but at times like this you know it's really important. The land gets sour when it is constantly waterlogged and takes a long time to recover. We also try to use as much natural water as possible for the stock by capturing rainwater in troughs and making efficient use of our resources. It seems crazy in this country when we have so much rain and then a few months later, the reservoirs are dry and people can't water their gardens!

The ewes are housed in the barn now so they can keep dry and take it easy before they lamb in March! They were scanned last week to see how many lambs they are carrying and the results are very good, so we'll keep our fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong between now and then. If we know whether they are carrying singles, twins or even triplets, it helps us to feed them exactly what they need in terms of home grown hay, silage and oats. If they have 1 lamb we don't want them getting too big and fat which causes lambing difficulties but if they have 3 or more lambs they need top quality nutrition.

We're looking forward to Spring now and the days are getting a little longer. I just hope it stops raining too! The snowdrops are out and the daffodils in bud, so it's on its way. We look forward to hearing from you soon, if you place your orders on-line by Sunday, delivery is the following week on a Thursday or Friday. Please phone me on 01769 560909 if you need any advice about what to choose or if you need to know anything about our produce.

I hope you are well and not too wet!

With best wishes

Jo, Tim and the Higher Hacknell Farm team