This summer sees the arrival of the Lake District Book Festival, a welcome new addition to the local calendar, and we’re pleased to be taking part. The festival runs from 12–14 June at Cartmel Racecourse, bringing together a lively programme of talks alongside an impressive line-up of writers.

Across the weekend, Matson Ground will be serving burgers made with organic beef from the farm, just a few miles from the festival site. It’s a simple offering, but also something of a milestone for us: the first time in a long time our beef has been available to buy directly from us.

Matson Ground has been farmed organically since 2000. Today, we care for around 500 hectares of farmland and woodland stretching across the landscapes near Windermere and Patterdale. It’s an upland system where livestock spend much of the year outdoors, moving across pasture that is managed with both food production and wildlife in mind. By keeping stocking levels low, we allow space for a rich mix of plants, insects and birdlife to thrive alongside the farm.

Native cattle breeds play a key role in how the land is managed. Beyond producing beef, they help shape the environment itself, grazing in ways that support habitats such as wood pasture regeneration and wetland restoration. The beef reflects that: pasture-fed, slow-grown, with a depth of flavour that comes from the land and the way the animals are raised.

While this is a one-off for now, it may also signal the beginning of something more – a chance to make Matson Ground beef more widely available to those living in or visiting this part of the Lakes.

If you’re heading to the festival, do come and say hello.

Tickets for the Lake District Book Festival are available now.