Читать книгу The Taste of Britain - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - Страница 348

The owners of the sheep used to live around the edge of the marsh and paid ‘lookers’ (people from the marsh itself who could tolerate the brackish well-water and the malarial fevers) to oversee the sheep. Before modern veterinary treatments for parasitic infections, managing the flocks to avoid infestation was skilled.

Romneys can be kept in large flocks and they scatter whilst grazing. Some still graze long-established native pastures on which grass species include perennial rye grass and Kentish wild white clover—which can be very close grazed. The pastures were kept close-cropped by moving the sheep frequently. There is a tradition of moving the ewes to arable land in Surrey and Sussex during the winter to feed on root crops, although nowadays they may be housed indoors on their home farms. The object is to allow an early flush of grass on summer pastures.

The lambs are born outdoors, traditionally from 1 April onwards. They are slaughtered from 3-4 months. Romney lamb reared on the salt marshes is sometimes requested by butchers or restaurants and the breed society has taken an interest in this in the past. However, the British consumer was not willing to pay a premium for the extra flavour, so it was not actively promoted. Romneys are still occasionally crossed with Southdowns to produce lambs for meat, but other lowland breeds such as Suffolk and, lately, Texel, have been favoured.