Claxton Herefords: meet the happiest cows in the country Heathcote, 60, whose cv includes everything from cattle handling in Australia to diamond mining in Africa, bought Claxton Manor Estate five years ago. His intention was to earn solely from the land by making use of its extraordinary variety, from commercial woodland to more than 400 acres of arable space. The land's previous owners had included Godric, William the Conqueror's steward, and Henry VIII's divorced fourth wife, Anne of Cleves; so Heathcote knew he had an important property to maintain. "It has such a rich history and environment that we wanted to make the most of it without spoiling anything," he says. Heathcote and his team of 12 set about unleashing the estate's ecological potential, which included digging 26 ponds, planting hundreds of yards of natural borders and, most significantly, - bringing in the Herefords. Cows are vital to the biodiversity of the estate. They manage the grass, fertilise the land and keep everything ticking over," Heathcote says. That diet is chiefly what makes Claxton beef so exceptional: Herefords are rare in that they can fatten entirely on grass. "Most beef in this country is grain-fed; that fattens the cows quicker but ruins the taste," Heathcote says. We feed and finish the herd 100 per cent on grass, letting them graze on the pastures for most of the year and then harvested marsh grasses in the winter. You can taste the difference. Grass-fed beef also contain more vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids. Last year Heathcote's son, Richard, also a farmer on the estate, met the London butchers Turner & George at the food festival Meatopia. One of the co-founders, James George, was struck by the Heathcotes" passion and practices. "It was obvious that the sustainable, careful work being done by the team on the Claxton Estate would create outstanding beef, which is exactly what we look for," George, 39, says. When Turner & George was picked to update the meat counter at Selfridges earlier this year, with an emphasis on native, sustainably farmed meat, they knew what their exclusive centrepiece would be. Heathcote now sells about 65 whole carcases to Turner & George a year, each worth about £1,500. The butchers dry-age the beef for 30 days (most imported supermarket meat is wet-aged in packaging as a shortcut) before preparing it. Richard Turner, 47, another co-founder of Turner & George and the executive chef of Hawksmoor, says consumers have "recently started a long-overdue backlash" against mass-produced meat. "A lot of supermarket grain-fed cuts are cheap, but the taste isn't there," he says. People are beginning to recognise that buying from butchers guarantees better quality. The British used to be world-renowned for their beef, and that reputation is still deserved. The butchers began selling Claxton beef at Selfridges in September, and Turner predicts sales of the meat could exceed that of turkeys this Christmas. Heathcote has no plans to increase his herd as a result of such success. "The amount of Herefords we have now is perfect for the ecosystem," he says. As long as that's satisfied, I am. Claxton beef is available exclusively at Selfridges. turnerandgeorge.co.uk