At the Visitors' Centre, you can buy a drink, a snack or an ice cream, but there's lot's more on offer too. This page will soon display the full range of products on sale by The Friends. But in the meantime, here are two products made at Paxton Pits.

Paxton Honey
Beginner bee keepers Lin and Glyn Taylor have produced the first crop of honey in quantity from their three hives in the depths of the Reserve, and it is on sale at the Visitors’ Centre. Their Paxton Reserve Honey is made by Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) gathering nectar and pollen from the Reserve. Lin and Glyn suggested, in 2004, that the Reserve might like to host the hives for their new hobby. Senior Ranger Jim Stevenson saw that, as a traditional and sustainable countryside activity, bee keeping would fit in with the traditional arable farming operation now carried out on the Reserve for the benefit of wildlife, and add a new dimension to interest in the Reserve. Since the hives would be within the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Jim had to check first with Natural England that having the bees would not compromise the Reserve’s conservation objectives.

In the first year of production, 2005, the crop was minimal. But in 2006, the bees rewarded the Taylors’ tender loving care. Glyn puts their success down to greater experience and wonderful sunshine! From the start, Lin and Glyn committed the profits of their enterprise to The Friends, through sales at the Visitors' Centre. Covering their costs only, they are ensuring that the sale of Paxton Reserve Honey is generating a significant sum for the Reserve.

Paxton Beef
In the autumn, cattle from Church Farm, Southoe, graze hay meadows at Paxton Pits nature reserve. This helps to maintain the this important habitat, ensuring that the fields will be full of colourful flowers and rich in insects the following summer. Now you can buy this organic beef, direct from the farmer.

Our cattle are born and reared on our Southoe farm, grazing ancient meadows that are farmed organically, and form part of a major environmental scheme. In the autumn the cattle spend time grazing the hay meadows within the Paxton Pits nature reserve. Due to the way these pastures have been managed, they contain a huge array of herb and grass species, which impart a traditional and now rare flavour to our beef. Other than grass our cattle are only fed on products grown on our farm (wheat, barley and straw, plus essential minerals and some molasses to make it all taste sweeter!)

Having received huge demand for our beef from friends and family we have decided to offer it to a wider audience. We can offer you a box of beef delivered to your door, which will include a range of cuts. In general, a box of our locally produced beef weighs approximately 10-12 kg and contains:

Fillet steaks
Sirloin steaks
Rump steaks
2 Roasting joints (topside, silverside etc.)
1 Rib of beef
1 brisket joint
Braising and stewing cuts
Mince

The boxes are priced at £6.00/kg. This should easily fit into 2 drawers of a standard freezer.

The beef is not on sale at the Visitors' Centre. For more information or to place an order please ring Andrew Ramply on (07785 336651). G.T.RAMPLY & SON, CHURCH FARM, SOUTHOE, CAMBS. Tel: 07785 336651