The Brand Family at East Fortune Farm

Robert with his ducks.

A few words from Jane Brand.

You’ll find us in East Lothian, between Haddington and North Berwick, with our award-winning Hampshire Down sheep, excellent Saddleback pigs, over 300 free-range hens and 60 free-range Pekin Aylesbury, Harlequin & Khaki Campbell ducks. 

In 2018 I opened The Brand Family Larder on the farm, a shop to sell our home-reared pork, lamb and free-range eggs to the local community, as well as the restaurant trade. 

The sheep, pigs and hens were very much part of our strategy for growth, however the ducks came as a bit of a surprise when my son Robert arrived back from the annual Kelso Tup sales a few years ago with 6 Pekin Aylesbury cross ducks! 

Robert (now aged 10) took this all in his stride and loved bringing a new project to the farm, and is now farming over 60 ducks, and their eggs have proved very popular in the farm shop and with Fred. 

Robert finds the ducks to be unreliable layers during winter, and some days he only gathers 10 eggs or less, but of course they still eat plenty of food. Now that spring is in the air and there are lighter mornings and evenings, he’s counting up to is 39 a day! 

Robert said “I love to see my ducks splashing about in their paddling pools and quacking away.”

Find out more about The Brand Family on their website www.brandeastfortune.co.uk