A rare breed makes a comeback at Ayrshire Farm

Written By Katie Wais

English Longhorn beef hits the market for the first time

One of Ayrshire Farm’s English Longhorn is shown on pasture shortly after arriving at the farm in 2022.

If you’ve ever dined at Hunter’s Head Tavern or brought home a WholeHarvest Meat Box, you already know our commitment to raising heritage breeds with care, transparency, and integrity. But this summer marks a truly extraordinary milestone for us at Ayrshire Farm: the debut of English Longhorn beef, available for the very first time.

A Breed Steeped in History 

Not to be confused with Texas Longhorns, English Longhorns are a rare heritage breed from northern England with roots dating back to the 1700s. Livestock pioneer Robert Bakewell developed them for triple-purpose use – beef, dairy, and draft work. For a time they were the dominant breed in Britian, but nearly disappeared in the 20th century as industrial agriculture shifted to faster-growing, high-yield breeds.

Known for their distinctive curved horns and striking color patterns, these animals are more than just beautiful: they produce exceptionally flavorful, tender beef with fine marbling and a clean, buttery finish.

English Longhorn beef has long been prized by chefs and butchers for its rich depth of flavor, ideal fat distribution, and old-world quality that can’t be found in commercial breeds.

Today, English Longhorns remain incredibly rare. In fact, Ayrshire Farm is one of only two farms in the entire United States raising them (the other is in Indiana). We chose this breed not for convenience or scale, but for its superior meat quality, gentle temperament, and historical significance.

With their curved horns and distinctive coloring,  English Longhorns are unmistakable in appearance.

Raised the Right Way

Ayrshire Farm acquired its first English Longhorns in April 2022. Since then, their numbers have grown to a small but significant herd of 15 — including seven breeding females and two bulls — all raised on our certified organic pastures in Upperville, Virginia.

Like all livestock at Ayrshire Farm, English Longhorns spend their lives grazing on no-till, chemical-free pastures — without the use of antibiotics, hormones, or confinement.

The result is beef that’s deeply marbled, rich in flavor, and entirely traceable from pasture to plate.

A One-Week Culinary Experience

We are proud to share this rare offering through a week of specials at Hunter’s Head Tavern from June 30 through July 6. Chef-prepared dishes will include:

  •  English Longhorn Carpaccio

  •  Dry-Aged Longhorn Steak

  •  The Longhorn Burger

Each plate tells the story of a breed brought back from the brink and raised with purpose just a few miles down the road.

Longhorn Available with July Meat Boxes

Prefer to cook at home? For the first time, rare English Longhorn beef will be offered as a limited add-on for Ayrshire Farm’s July Meat Boxes. Customers who purchase a Meat Box for one of our July pickup dates will receive a special invitation to customize their order with these exceptional cuts.

Pickup dates are:

Quantities are extremely limited, and once they’re gone, it may be some time before English Longhorn is available again.

Katie Wais