All the hens at Milton Lodge are free range and the eggs are graded and packed on farm ensuring the high standards are maintained.
Roy Allinson’s desire and determination to specialise in poultry when he left school led to him setting up Wensleydale Free Range Eggs, set in the quiet rural village of Finghall, Leyburn offering stunning panoramic views of the Yorkshire Dales. Roy runs the business from the family farm with his dad, Frank and the rest of the family who have all contributed to building up the business over the years.
Roy’s hens are Hi Line hens, quite a lazy bird but rangy and well-feathered, a sign they are well looked after. The flock has access to a well-maintained, extensive range which allows the birds to express their natural behaviour outside amongst the lush green trees and pastures of the Yorkshire Dales. Their feed contains natural cereals which is reflected in the rich, golden yellow yolks Roy’s eggs are famous for. There’s even freshly pumped mineral water for them to drink, he believes in attention to the finest details!
Roy says:
“I go out, knock on doors cold calling, leaving people eggs and saying this is what we do. I even crack eggs in front of people and say ‘just look at the yolk’. I give hundreds of eggs away in order to build up business. I even took my eggs to our printer and cracked them open so they could match the colour of our egg yolk on all our printed material. I took the decision to market our eggs locally and now within a 20-mile radius of the farm you won’t find anything much but fresh Wensleydale Eggs.”
“You get a cracked egg off me and I take it as a personal insult because with my dad we put every single egg in that box. We have a machine that will do it automatically but I won’t use it. I want to guarantee that every egg is perfect. An automated machine puts them in and shuts the lid before you can check. I can’t take that. It does my dad’s head in but it has to be done.”
Roy delivers to all of Wensleydale and further afield in Yorkshire and you can find his eggs on sale in independent butchers, delis and other retail stockists across the region.
