About Dalmore

Dalmore Croft is a 12 acre smallholding located on the outskirts of Barry, by Carnoustie in the beautiful county of Angus. It is owned and run as a small mixed farm by Rosemary and Dan Champion.

Dalmore Croft aerial
Dalmore Croft from above

At Dalmore we:

  • Sell beef, lamb, eggs, honey, apples and other food, yarn, willow, and various other products, all produced at Dalmore. See our Shop for more details.
  • Organise family-friendly Farm Walks, open to the public for a small charge.
  • Deliver and host various courses, covering smallholding, crafts and other rural subjects.
  • Hold occasional ‘pop-up’ food events – subscribe to our mailing list to receive notification of future events.

If you are visiting, please see the pages about our location, opening hours, and frequently asked questions.

History

We moved here on 14th May 2010. The property was once part of the Panmure Estate, owned by the Earls of Dalhousie – the house was built in 1887 and has a lintel stone engraved with “JW1887ED”, which stands for “John William 1887 Earl of Dalhousie”.

JW 1887 ED lintel stone at Dalmore
JW 1887 ED lintel stone at Dalmore

In more recent times, it has been a market garden, a small livestock farm used as a staging post for animals being transported by rail and latterly, an equestrian property.

Our aims

We bought it with the intention of turning it into a small mixed farm from which we could produce much of our own food plus a surplus to sell locally. We wanted to farm sustainably, with high animal welfare standards and to support rare breeds of livestock. And we wanted to connect with the public, so that folk could learn about where food comes from and how it is produced.

In the time we have been here, we’ve made significant changes to the property including renewing and extending fencing and drainage, upgrading buildings, establishing wildlife areas and planting trees. We now feel that we’re at the end of the beginning.

We keep around 100 laying hens for eggs; we breed Coloured Ryeland sheep for meat and wool; we fatten a few weaner pigs and meat chickens, mainly for our own use; and we breed rare Shetland cattle for meat and milk. In addition, we have around eighty apple trees, a couple of bee hives and grow fruit and vegetables.

We sell eggs, lamb / hogget /mutton and beef to the public.