AN Eden farmer is back supplying spring lamb to one of the county’s leading meat specialists.

Mark Wills is a familiar face on the Cumbrian showfield, winning many prizes with his Swaledale sheep.

Like many other Cumbrian farmers, Mark has just weathered a bad winter lambing-wise. But now, a few of his high-quality lambs are finding their way on to the counters at Cranstons’ stores each week.

Fawcett Park, at Dufton, near Appleby, has been supplying spring lamb to Cranstons since 2001.

“It was just after foot and mouth had hit the county,” said 50-year-old Mark. “The chap I was working for decided not to have any more sheep, so we decided to go on our own.”

The family run 1,050 ewes - 550 Beltex crosses, 250 Cheviot mule ewes and a 250-strong Swaledale fell flock.

Mark also sells some sheep and suckler cows through local auction marts, and some deadweight through Kirkby Stephen auction mart.

“Last year we had the best lambing ever, but this year it has been the worst year, because of the appalling weather,” said Mark, who runs the farm with his wife Sue, 46, 20-year-old son Jack and daughter Charlotte, 16.

Mark fattens his lambs for the butchers to between 47 and 48 kilos.

“There’s a lot of meat on them,” he said. “You cannot beat a rack of lamb, although compared to pork or chicken, local lamb is more expensive. But it is a beautiful piece of meat. The lambs are fed on grass initially, and then on harder feed and fodder beet,” said Mark. “We start selling when they are five months old, but spring lamb can be sold up until it’s one year old.”