Our Story

We founded the Dorset Meat Company to provide you with the finest grass-fed, outdoor-reared meat, produced sustainably and in harmony with nature. We care about traditional British farming which is why we work with 20 small, family-run farms based in Dorset and Wiltshire that produce really wholesome, natural meat. We believe strongly that small-scale farming is better for the farmer, the animal, the local ecology, and for you, producing exceptionally tasting, ethically reared meat that you can trust completely.

We know our farmers

We all want to know where our food comes from. By showing you the small, local farms we work with, you will have the confidence in the integrity and origin of the meat you are eating. We know our farmers well and share their ethics and values. There is no trace of factory farming here: only small-scale family farms that use traditional methods of animal husbandry in a natural and biodiverse growing environment. Animals that have been allowed to grow at a natural pace and have not been rushed, resulting in better textured and highly flavoured meat.

We are what we eat

Perversely, we would advocate that we all eat less meat, but when we do, we need to ensure it’s of the highest quality and is produced in a way that respects nature, the environment and the animal.

Eating meat from animals that themselves have only eaten a natural diet of grass, wildflowers, clovers and legumes, rich in essential vitamins and minerals and untainted by growth promoters and chemicals makes a whole lot of sense. It’s a healthy choice to make.

Clover-rich grass

Our ruminant animals enjoy a diet of 100%, pure, natural grass. Which is all they ever eat.

Our local countryside is rich in grassland. “Partly real, partly dream country” is how Thomas Hardy described Dorset. Over 40% of the county is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the steep ridges and chalk valleys lending the landscape a rugged beauty. Dotted around the Blackmore Vale, small farms raise traditional cattle breeds like Herefords, Aberdeen Angus and Ruby Reds. The areas of clay soil are rich in grass, wildflowers, clover and legumes, the principal food source for sheep and cattle for centuries. It is these natural environments, rich in essential vitamins and minerals, that help to support a wide range of wildlife and insects as an essential element of a vibrant, thriving ecology.

Nature in balance.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Dorset Meat Company.

Jane and Nick Somper