Flying the British egg flag

Those of you who keep your own hens will know the joy of poaching a freshly laid egg simply by dropping it in bubbling water, with no added extras.

Even if you don’t keep your own hens you can enjoy the same benefits if you purchase eggs from Marsh Farm in Yeovil. The eggs laid by the farm’s Lohman Browns go from nest box to customer the very same day, resulting in rave reviews.

The farm, set up in 2017, has taken the decision to only keep as many hens as they need in order to supply eggs direct to customers, therefore cutting out the distributor and in turn reducing costs. Its client base includes high end pubs and restaurants which love the creamy eggs with their dark orange yolks.

Lysanne Vase runs the farm almost single-handedly (aside from her sons and daughter lending a helping hand from time to time) as well as looking after nine horses, two Rhodesian Ridgebacks, a black Labrador and two cats, meaning she’s got her hands full!

Speaking of her hens, Lysanne told us: “All our birds have a great life whilst with us. They always have fresh water, four feeds a day, a large indoor scratch area, toys, pecking pans and access to roam in five acres from 10am until dusk.

“They have plenty of space and are generally very happy, inquisitive birds. This shows in our product! They love pecking around the horses and playing with them too! They are generally very friendly. There are always escapees within the flock – I call them the cheeky ones!”

As well as their escaping habits, the cheeky ones can often be found digging holes in Lysanne’s garden when they’re not hanging out under an oak tree on sunny days.