The Lacaune
Whilst we keep a number of different rare breeds on the farm, our Lacaune sheep are bred for their milk production.
Originally from the Tarn region of France, this hardy breed of dairy sheep are excellent on the sometime marginal ground of the Staffordshire Moorlands. The sheep live outside unless lambing and are primarily grass fed. In France they are used to produce the famous Roquefort cheese.
We lamb the Lacaunes in January and from here we milk share. This means that for the first two weeks we let the ewes and their lambs bond, feed and grow. For the next two weeks we start milking once a day, with the ewes and lambs separated overnight so that they cannot feed but remain able to sleep next to each other. Once the lambs are strong enough the sheep are then used solely for the milk until summer.
The lambs are fast growing and have their own personalities, like each of the ewes, we get to know their idiosyncrasies when milking.
Bees & Beekeeping
Bees are fascinating creatures, everyone is aware of how important they are for plant polination, however they are an amazing producer of natural resources as well.
Whether its the honey, pollen or wax there is always a use for their hard work.
The wax we use in our products is a bi-product of the honey extraction. The cappings to the honey, is the finest wax the bees produce so they can seal in their honey stores. When taking the honey, we save this wax and then incorporate it in to what we make. Its very clean, and gives the products a vanilla scent.
Our Farming Journey
With two corporate careers, what started as a small foray into the "good life" quickly got out of hand as farming and the Peak District landscape stole our hearts.
For the last two years we have farmed 25 acres in the Staffordshire Moorlands and sought to develop a sustainable business and farming approach that respects and enhances the beauty and diversity of our land.
Two key things have guided our journey:
Mike developed a dairy allergy in in later life meaning that we needed to explore alternatives to cows milk; and
Finally realising that our young daughters eczema was driven by the use of commercial soaps.
Knowing that we had to find an alternative for cosmetics in the home and always striving for high quality produce from our farm made the use of sheep milk in a cold processed soap obvious....and Baa of Soap was born!
If you would like to see and hear more about our farm, please go to:
Hand crafted sheep milk soap
The majority of our cosmetic products contain sheep milk. Being high in sugars, fats and vitamins and minerals means that incorporation of sheep milk adds a luscious texture and lather to the product.
Our base liquid is the sheep milk from our Lacune sheep, which we milk for six months every year.
We also incorporate beeswax from our hives into soap and lip balm. Ensuring that typical waste products have a purpose as a high quality, and healing, ingredients.
Our products only contain essential oils and naturals colourants to ensure a chemical free bar of soap once curing is complete. This is not something that we are willing to compromise on and so it can take time to develop new offerings that align with this philosophy.