Quality and produce at the heart of food

The beef, at the family run far located just outside Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, are naturally reared and the stock is made up of Aberdeen Angus, Lincoln Reds and Blonde Aquitaine. In the summer, the young cattle graze in the Oxfordshire meadows. On the farm, the main breed of pigs is Gloucester Old Spot with some British Lock. The pigs are all free range and fed on GM free food. Scotch Mill and Texel lambs are also reared on the farm at Foxbury and are fed on grass and barley grown on the farm. All the animals reared at the farm are supplied directly into the Foxbury Farm Butchery. The butchery is an open theatre where every process from cutting a carcass down into joints, to making the sausages is performed in full view. The beef is hung for a minimum of three weeks to allow the flavour and tenderness to develop. The programme is also introducing baking on site. The team has developed a range of cakes including Marmalade flapjacks, Earl Grey Tea Cake, and Date and Walnut Cake. Sodexo's catering services director for Blenheim Palace, Michelle Stephens, commented: "As well as sourcing local, ethical sourced food, we have developed a programme where our chefs spend the morning farming, followed by a visit to the abattoir and an afternoon with the butchers."