Thank goodness for a break in the weather as it meant that the vet and our farm team didn’t get quite so wet when they scanned the calves on Thursday.  We scan our cows every year when they are brought in for the Winter.  This allows us to see which are ‘in calf’ and plan accordingly, tailoring our winter feeding plan to our cattle’s needs. 

We usually start calving at the end of March, this means that hopefully the weather is getting better and our new arrivals are able to enjoy sunshine, fresh air and plenty of grass.  Now that the nights are drawing in and the weather turning chillier we can all dream of some sunshine and new calves come the Spring.

 It’s been a busy week here at Mornacott with ‘all hands on deck’ to prepare for our annual Visit England Inspection.  Inspections have been delayed slightly this year due to the current Covid-19 situation.  However, we are delighted that we have retained our previous ‘Excellent’ gradings; with our largest property ‘Orchard Cottage’ retaining it’s ‘5 Star Gold’ rating. ‘The Old Stables’ 5 star and ‘Barn Cottage’ 4 Star Gold

 We were also subject to an on the spot ‘Good to Go’ assessment which looks at our planning, provision and extra measures put in place during Covid-19 which we also passed with flying colours, allowing our guests to stay with us confident that we’re taking the right precautions to ensure their safety.

We have recently acquired some new additions to the chicken coop here at Mornacott.  With the help of the British Hen Welfare Trust we have given some ex battery hens a new lease of life 

When the chickens first arrived they looked a little sorry for themselves with combs flopped over and bald patches but within a few weeks of fresh air, sunshine and good food they soon picked up and happily started laying again.  Our hens provide the eggs for our delicious cakes and breakfast packs as well as for the full English breakfasts enjoyed by the teams that visit us during the shooting season.

 We have been delighted to welcome guests back to Mornacott since the lifting of lockdown and have been blessed with some truly glorious weather (although today we have heavy rain!).

We have made the most of the sunshine to capture some drone footage of the estate and we’re excited to be able to share it with you (please click the link below) and welcome to Mornacott!

youtu.be/TIAG8s5rsKg

In preparation for the end of lockdown we’ve been getting everything up and running after a long break. Supplies of specialist cleaning materials continue to arrive for our reopening on 4th July (Independence Day for both the UK and the USA this year!). This week we’ve also completed both the Visit England and AA COVID-19 readiness assessments recognising that our guests need assurance that their safety and that of our team is of paramount importance in the weeks and months ahead.

 It’s been very quiet at Mornacott for the last few months but in anticipation of the much trailed end of lockdown expected on 4th July we’ve been amasing supplies of special virucide cleaners and PPE, putting together training routines for our cleaners and undertaking risk assessments (today completing the AA’s Covid-Confident assessment). Now all that we need is for the glorious weather to hold up to ensure a great, long awaited, break for our visitors.