Good afternoon,
We produce Sussex Wagyu beef at Trenchmore, and are currently the only farm growing Akaushi beef in the country.
We decided to cross our native Sussex breed with the Japanese Red Wagyu Akaushi (Ah-ka-oo-shi) because we love the characteristics that both breeds bring to the genetics table, and know that hybrid vigour leads to better health and biological function.
We started with a small herd of pure Sussex cows (above left) in 2012 and imported some top quality Wagyu juice to breed our Wagyu bulls - Red Emperor (above right), Red Prince and Red Duke. We now put the bulls to work with our Sussex mums and breed our beautifully blended Sussex Wagyu beef twice a year, in the spring & the autumn.
The wagyu breed are known for their ability to marble, which is laying down intramuscular fat throughout their body. The flavour of this fat is unique to the breed and is a big part of the Trenchmore beef flavour. The fat is high in unsaturated oleic acid (similar to olive oil) and has a low melting point - Dave our butcher knows when he has a wagyu on his block because his hands are oily. The animals are surprisingly well adapted to the climate here and finish well on grass - unlike the more traditional black wagyu breed, which often needs quite a lot of feed to fatten on.
Our lovely Sussex cattle are a small but hardy bunch, who are thrifty on rough pasture. They are docile but stubborn, sometimes requiring Andrew & Nev to physically push on their backsides to get them to move. They are excellent mums and have even been spotted letting three calves suckle at once. That is seriously docile, if you ask me. They also produce a delicious grass-fed beef flavour, that the pureblood wagyu lacks.
In combining the two breeds, we are growing a beef herd that are healthy, a joy to look after and produce a consistently flavourful and succulent meat.
We picked up a Sussex Wagyu from Dave this morning and have fresh roasting joints, steaks and brisket ready to collect on Saturday.
We kick off the apple swap this Saturday from 11am. More information about what apples we can take here. There is no need to register, just turn up with your surplus fruit and go home with your cider.
