Adderbury's award winning beef farmer

Milkbeef is the brain child of Emma and Stuart Watson who have owned and run Manor Farm in Twyford for the past 10 years.

Described as sitting at the midway point between veal and mature steak, milkbeef is an eco-friendly and natural beef product that allows calves to grow with their grass fed mother before being weaned off when they are too big and boisterous to suckle.

It is at this stage that milkbeef is produced rather than housing the animals until the next spring. The milkbeef season, is therefore limited to October and November.

Since its introduction interest in the product has steadily grown.

Stuart said: "There's no doubt we started small but you could argue that it has grown exponentially, but at the same time that is still quite small."

Emma added: "We had some fantastic feedback, really positive feedback. Last year we just did big boxes which I think limits what people can have because they were 15 kilos, it doesn't quite work for most people so this year what we've done differently is to also do two kilos and five kilos boxes.

"So actually, we can have a wider reach, it's more suitable for for everybody. Last year we must have done eight big boxes but this year, we've done a lot of small boxes and reached a lot more people."

Award success first came in August with the Guild of Fine Food Great Taste Award for the farms milkbeef mince. Just last month Stuart and Emma won The Food & Farming Excellence Award at the Cotswold Life Magazine Family Business Awards, both competitions they entered on a whim.

Emma said: "The Great Taste award certainly has had an impact, especially when we've done the Adderbury Farmers Market, doing samples and getting people to try it. People have been very interested we won the great taste award."

Stuart added: "We're supplying a few artisanal butchers, like last year, and that seems to work quite well. The most obvious example is Whykam Park Farm who are selling milkbeef cuts, they seem to be suggesting that when people are asking about it there is that recognition of great taste, its created an interest."

Both competitions were entered using frozen samples of milkbeef and it is one way the couple are looking to extend the two month window of milkbeef availability.

On November 22 Stuart and Emma will see their product judged in the final of the Fresh Beef category of the Quality Food and Drink Awards. The other three producers vying for the award will be Aldi, Lidl and Co-op.

Stuart said: "We're not quite sure what we've got into. Two farmers sat in the corner with all these savvy types from supermarkets.

"I do slightly feel that we are going to be fish out of water down there," adds Emma.

Milkbeef will be available from Wykham Park Farm or by visiting the farms website: www.milkbeef.co.uk.

Stuart and Emma will also be giving away samples at Carrdus School's Christmas Fair on Saturday, November 23.