We source our chicken (and turkey come Christmas time) from our friend Stuart Perkins of Castlemead Poultry in Radstock - just a stone's throw from the city of Bath.

All of the birds on Stuart's farm enjoy a relaxed and natural upbringing, with plenty of freedom to roam in their small flocks. A wholesome diet of meadow grasses are supplemented by milled grains and foraged feed during the colder months to ensure that the birds are kept healthy and happy throughout the year.

Allowing his flock to mature naturally and slowly means that the birds arrive at Ruby & White with better muscle development, a higher proportion of fat and more dark meat - all vital components for producing a juicy and succulent bird. 

Benefitting from a couple of days hanging following slaughter helps to further develop the flavour and ensures a tender texture.

Intensively farmed chicken, as with any animal, will always prove to be a poor comparison to those raised according to higher welfare practices. Faced with an 'economical and efficient' upbringing, factory and caged birds will be very pale in appearance, and have a mild and subdued flavour, simply no comparison to the real thing.