The herd has been officially performance recorded since 1970 and is currently recorded through the ABRI system. Recent technology has seen DNA testing used across the herd to look at enhancing meat eating qualities’.

In the last few years the herd has seen a welcome return to the show and sale rings outside of the south east of England and in 2012 Sacombe won the coveted Burke Trophy with the herd’s stock sire at the time, Clonagh World Class and Perrywood Wispa, a cow bred in Bridget’s own herd. The herd is very much writing its next major chapters with bloodlines off World Class and past herd sire Grangewood William proving to be a great asset in the herd.

World Class has left some phenomenal females in the herd and without doubt has left a stamp of quality we look for in the modern era of this breed. These females have notched up a few major wins at both national and regional level and their progeny are proving to be in demand.

Recent sire additions have come from the Islavale, Wolfstar, Derrycallaghan, Sterling and Blackford herds, as well as a polled sire from Langmose in Denmark, so it will be interesting to see how these knit with our current genetics.

We were very fortunate in 2017 to be able to welcome renowned stockman Jimmy McMillan to work with us at Sacombe. Jimmy comes to us after the dispersal of the prestigious Sterling herd where we were fortunate to be able to add three new bloodlines to our herd including adding the new UK breed record priced female, Sterling Bacardi’s Hawaii at 28,000gns.

In 2010 a Blue Texel flock was established which is now owned by Bridget and James’ children, Sam and Scarlett. The Sacombe flock consists of Bishops, Miserden, Beili, Whatmore, Saltire and Bluestone genetics and 2018 will now see 35-40 females lambing down with a view to offering both males and females for sale both off farm and at Society sales. Showing is also undertaken on a local scale to promote the flock.

A new exciting chapter was written in the history books in 2016 for Paull and Judy when they relocated to Shropshire to Batchcott Hall Farm. Here the majority of the sheep flock run alongside a new commercial sheep enterprise. Bridget, her partner James and their two children Sam and Scarlett are still at Sacombe Hill Farm in Hertfordshire running the pedigree herd and the butchery side of the business.