Читать книгу The Taste of Britain - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - Страница 352

The Downs consist of several relatively high chalk escarpments with steep faces and dry valleys; the flora is typified by soft, short turf with a great diversity of herbs and flowering plants. Sheep grazing, a part of the area’s economy since the Middle Ages, is a vital element in its maintenance. In the nineteenth century, the Southdown was of enormous importance to Sussex farms which practised a system of folding the flocks on arable crops at night with extensive grazing on the short, downland pasture during the day. This survived until recently in a few places. Its drawbacks are that it is labour intensive and less ploughland is now available, partly because of set-aside. Many Southdown sheep are now kept on ley pasture.

Lambing usually begins in February. They are sold for meat from about 16 weeks but many are retained for breeding; Southdown rams are in demand as sires for cross-bred lambs. The value of these has been recognized for well over 150 years, when Mrs Beeton remarked that Southdown crossed with Lincoln or Leicester were used to supply the London meat markets; the crossing breeds may have changed to Cluns, Cotswolds and Dartmoors, but the principle remains the same. A premium is often paid for Southdown lambs; demand is high and there is much direct marketing.