Eggs: The Ingredient Edit

Egg-citing New Arrivals…

Our newest chickens arrived in February and have settled in nicely. This time we chose two breeds new to us here at Thyme to add some variety to the farm and to the eggboxes!

The first breed is Rhode Rock; docile birds well adapted to all weather conditions who lay plenty of small brown eggs, 260 – 280 per year in fact. Rhode rocks (or Rockies as the gardeners have taken to calling them) are black in colour with metallic blue feathers on their backs, rich tan heads and a blueish tone to the skin on their legs.

Calder Rangers, the second new breed, are a more familiar looking bird, light brown in colour but with striking black tail feathers. These birds are known for being mild mannered and calm, making them ideal for the free ranging lifestyle our poultry lead here.

To welcome our new friends, we decided to move chicken HQ to a different site where we are able to provide them with a more varied and enriched environment. The new site is located on the top of a hilly paddock backed by a woodland. This means the girls have a choice of exploring the grasslands, pecking for tasty worms or scrabbling around in the woodland searching for insects amongst the leaves and fallen branches. The sheds are on slides enabling us to move them regularly to fresh ground, ensuring happy hens.

Not only does this new site add to their diet, making their eggs even tastier and better for us, it allows our guests to see where their eggs are laid and the quality of life our very pampered poultry enjoy.  Enjoy our 'Baked Eggs with Smoked Haddock' recipe ... a perfect Easter breakfast or supper dish.