WITH Easter just around the corner it is a busy time of year for Emma Blomfield, despite the coronavirus lockdown.

Her business Emma’s Ewesful Acres, based at the Earth Trust in Little Wittenham, near Didcot, has always brought its wildflower-meadow fed lamb, hogget, mutton and beef, to people's doors as part of its offering and is now able to also deliver no-contact.

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Alongside glowing reviews for the Oxfordshire-reared meat, it has also received a top food hygiene rating following an inspection on February 6.

Ms Blomfield took over as 'shepherdess' at environmental charity Earth Trust in September 2016, after making a brief appearance with her lambs at their popular lambing event back in March 2016.

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This year's event, which regularly attracts more than 8,000 people, had to be cancelled due to the virus.

Her website added: “As well as working another part time job, Emma tends to 350 breeding ewes and a herd of Pedigree Sussex and Simmental Cattle.”

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It said despite Ms Blomfield having a first class degree, she has sheep farming ‘in her blood’ as she grew up on her parents small holding. The website continued: “She’s always had her own sheep and when the Farm Step tenancy came up at the Earth Trust she saw it as a great opportunity to pursue her passion and grow her business.”

Her animals graze across the wildflower meadows around the Wittenham Clumps and on the Thames Path, with visitors able to see them if they take a walk that way. It stated: “This means they eat a varied diet of wild flowers and native grasses.

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“They are able to mature at a natural rate increasing their health and improving their flavour. Both the beef cattle and lambs are not fed grain so the meat is 100 per cent grass fed and studies have shown that this increases the levels of Omega Three fatty acids within the meat when compared to commercially grain fed animals.

“Also sheep are known to self-medicate, which means that if, for instance, they have an upset stomach they will graze on specific plants that help cure them.

"So having access to local wildflower meadows is perfect.”

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The sheep and cattle help conserve the natural habitats by grazing the wild flower meadows at certain times of year.

The cattle ensure variable sward lengths to promote different types of plant and insect life.

Whereas the sheep clear the ground of all the dead vegetation once the flowers have gone to seed to ensure the seeds the best chance of germination in the next spring.

Visit emmasewesfulacres.com.