The Lake District we know and love today owes everything to the little grey sheep and the shepherds who still ply their ancient trade by tending to their needs and keep.  

The Herdwick breed has been indigenous to the area for 1,000 years. This type of pastoralism farming has disappeared in the rest of Europe, but is still here in the Lakes.  

Roaming freely on the Cumbrian hills at heights upwards of 1,000 feet, the sheep graze on wild grass and forage, which gives the lamb a distinctive gamey flavour.  

It is this distinctive flavour that has led to Booths supermarket stocking their Lakeland lamb from fifth-generation Lakeland farmer Ian Knight, who they've formed a unique, decade-long partnership with.   

The farming team are a close and hardworking traditional family, everybody mucks in on the farm and supports one another. From Ian (the boss), who does everything, and more to Alan (Dad – the old boss), who keeps an eye on the new boss, to Joe (the REAL boss – aged 11), who tells the old boss and the new boss where they are going wrong!  

"We’re proud to support Ian and his hardworking farming family by being the only major retailer to stock this heritage breed. We aim to improve the viability and profitability of upland farming, guaranteeing a fair price for local farmers. The lamb season usually runs from mid-January until mid-June, with mutton available to order at Christmas," says a spokesman for Booths. 

Ian says: “Herdwick is certainly one of Booths' hero products and there is growing demand for this meat, with its distinctive gamey flavour of the fells. Farming has been central to family life for many generations. Striving to produce the highest quality meat, maintaining only the highest welfare standards, and doing it with a smile on their face is what the Knights do so well.  As Grandad Knight used to say, 'If you look after your livestock, your livestock will look after you.'"

In Cumbria:

To improve the viability and profitability of upland farming, Booths work collaboratively with Herdwick farmers. Ian says: "One of the worst things about farming is the uncertainty of the value of lamb. Working with Booths guarantees secure demand and a fair price for our Herdwick lamb. This enables farmers to plan ahead and invest in a sustainable future for their businesses.”  

The Knight family business in the Wasdale Valley dates back as far as 1875. Historically the family farmed a variety of livestock and crops, but now at the heart of their business is the breeding and rearing of premium lamb from Herdwick sheep and cross-bred Herdwick-Continental breeds. 

The family made the move ten years ago to nearby Stephney Farm at Calder Bridge, and decided they needed to consider a range of ways to boost the farm income. “About 12 to 13 years ago there were a greater number of hill farmers involved with the supplying of Herdwick lamb to Booths,” says Ian. “For a variety of reasons, this wasn’t proving successful for both Booths and the local farmers. I took the opportunity to pitch my business idea in which I would work with the local farmers to purchase lamb from them to be finished on my farm, with the aim to produce a more even standard of lamb that would fulfil the high specification Booths has. This has continued to develop, becoming more successful and our partnership has strengthened since.”

The family in the last decade decided to include in their business plans the breeding and rearing of continental breeds and have used these to cross with the traditional Herdwick draft ewe to produce the Lakeland lamb, which they have supplied to Booths butchery counters as well as the Herdwick lamb they already supplied. The production of Lakeland lamb has completed the annual cycle of supplying lamb from the Lake District to Booths meat counters all year round. It is sold from November to January – bridging the gap between the Herdwick lamb they supply from January to May, and Saltmarsh lamb supplied by other farmers from June to October. The running of the farm requires the whole family to do their bit. Ian has help from partner, Kate, who is also a full-time secondary school teacher, children Joe, 11, Seren, two and Elin, one, plus parents Ruth and Alen.