Johnson & Swarbrick, established in 1985, are the UK’s foremost poultry producer. A family owned and operated business, who’s motto is ‘a happy bird is a tasty bird’. Their famous cornfed Goosnargh chicken and duck is supplied to the finest chefs around the country including Nigel Howarth of Northcote Manor, Mark Hix of Hix Restaurants, Chris and Jeff Galvin of Galvin Restaurants and Sydney Aldridge of Fortnum and Mason; confirming the quality of the poultry is second to none.
Reg, ‘the poultry legend’ certainly put his home village of Goosnargh, Lancashire on the map. It all started in 1987 when he met a young chef called Paul Heathcote who had just come out of the London scene, moved back up north and was looking for an English cornfed chicken. Reg took up this challenge. With much time and work invested, he finally came up with the Goosnargh corn-fed chicken, becoming the famous product it is today and setting the benchmark in the industry. Paul was then joined by Nigel Howarth on the tasting panel as Reg continued to explore how to grow the poultry business.
At J&S we’re passionate about our produce. What makes us different is the way we rear our birds the rearing and
feed process. With our own mixing plant, running 5 days a week, we know exactly what we’re feeding our birds.
We feed them what’s good for them.
No genetic modifications – No growth promoters, no antibiotics or any other additives included.
We have created own unique recipe promoting slow growth. The birds all arrive to the farm at one day old. They are put into
nursery sheds that are heated to the specified temperature for 21-28 days. At this stage they are moved to the adult sheds
which are open, spacious, well aired with plenty of room to run freely. They are bedded daily with fresh barley straw and
miscanthus (a revolutionary biomass crop), this is grown on our own land within a 3 mile radius of the farm.
Swainson House Farm is situated at the edge of the Ribble Valley in the picturesque village of Goosnargh which is in the heart of the Lancashire countryside and close to the City of Preston.