TGFC Producer Spotlight

Introducing Provenance Lamb

Provenance Lamb is owned by David Crutchley and family. They are based in the Maniototo, Central Otago and own Shortland Station (since 1946) and Glenmore Station.  

How did they get started?

Whilst David has been farming for a while, he realised that he wasn’t really seeing the gains in productivity that he expected about 12 years ago. He determined that what he had been doing in the past wasn’t going to be sustainable going forward. With a fertiliser company telling David to put more on, he instead hired a soil scientist to help. After testing the soil they discovered it was depleted and had no nutritional content. David started researching farming in a way that gave back to the land rather than taking away.

A decade later, David and the family have completely changed the way they farm removing their reliance of agri-chemicals and converting to bio-farming. 

Bio-farmed for David is all about building a living soil. A soil full of worms and other natural biology that feeds itself and the plants that grow in it - and the animals that graze on it. Through the planting of multi specie cover crops and the use of natural fish fertiliser, the two Stations have been transformed.

What does this mean for you? 

Well, after changing, David noticed fairly quickly that his animals were healthier, he encountered less issues and the meat just tasted better.

Provenance Lamb is only farmed on the Crutchley family farms and with approximately 3,000 lambs being hand selected each year, Provenance represents the best of the best. Fine dining in the home!

Cooking tips

Michael Coughlin has been a chef for 35 years so knows a thing or two about food. After cooking with David’s lamb and tasting the difference, Michael knew that he wanted to be part of the team. 

Michael shares “everything we do is about providing customers with the best tasting, ethically raised lamb. From feeding the soil naturally to using dogs that don’t bark, everything goes into making sure the lambs are healthy and less stressed meaning what you end up with on the plate is the best it possibly can be regardless of whether you’re eating at a fine dine restaurant or at home.”

Wanting a few tips, we of course asked Michael what his favourite cut was. Whilst he loves frenched racks, for an easy at home meal he said you can’t go past the Provenance Oyster Cut Shoulder. Season into an oven bag for an hour and a half and serve with roasted vegies or a salad. Michael cautioned us though on not using any heavy reduced sauces if we truly wanted to experience the clean and subtle taste of their lamb.