WHEN Robert Phillip bought his wife two Highland cows for her birthday, he could not have imagined the impact they would have on their lives.

For six years later the "hobby"

cows have grown into 230 Highlanders which are now one of the largest folds (herds) in Britain.

They have replaced the Phillips' dairy herd and are now at the heart of a thriving Highland beef and pedigree sales business.

Mr Phillip and his wife, Wendy, run Hellifield Highland Beef at Green Farm, Hellifield, near Skipton.

They have a farm shop selling their own beef, run a mail order delivery service, and supply a number of restaurants and hotels.

They include Rudding Park, Harrogate - said to be one of the best hotels in the world - and the Mill Race, Leeds.

Mr Phillip bought Dot and Jaz in March 2002 for his wife, who had parted with her horses.

"We had always liked the breed and a friend bought them for me in Wales, they both calved so we decided to buy a bull and things just mushroomed from there,"

said Mr Phillip.

"We got more and more involved, joined the Highland Cattle Society and bought three more from Oban."

In August 2005 the couple decided to go full-time with their Highland and sell their 130 Holstein and Jersey dairy cows.

They were achieving high yields from three times a day milking, but were not making money.

Mr Phillip said: "We decided to concentrate on cows that are fun, to sell our own beef, and farm in a more traditional and environmentally- friendly way."

The 230-strong fold includes 60 cows, which are due to calve this year.

They graze the farm's 350 acres and also have access to high ground including above Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, where they are part of the Limestone Country project.

The breed is known for being exceptionally hardy, happily eating rough grazing and sparse vegetation. They are also the longest-lived, with some reaching 20 years.

Mr Phillip said: "We do the opposite to normal farmers. They put their animals inside in winter and turn them out in summer.

"Our animals stay out all the year round, we turn them out on the tops in winter and bring them down to the lower ground in summer until we take the calves off them."

Malham and the Langcliffe Scars, where some of them graze, are 1,600ft and 1,500ft above sea level, but the cattle happily push their way through the snow to forage there in winter.

"We are not organic, but we are natural, the cattle get very minimal bought in feed, they are finished off grass or silage."

The Phillips have built the herd buying animals with superior genetics from the top folds in Britain.

They have developed their own breeding service via their bulls and also sell to other breeders.

The beef is mostly from male animals, although any females that are not considered good enough for breeding also go for meat.

The animals are butchered locally at CCM Quality Foods at Skipton auction mart and left to hang and mature for a minimum of three weeks.

"The taste is superb," said Mr Phillip. "The Highlander is renowned for the marbling of its meat, which gives it a great deal of flavour. It tastes like beef should."

Waitrose bought Hellifield Beef for some of its stores last Christmas and has said it will order more this year.

The farm is taking part in the Year of Food and Farming and has already held visits for the local school and nursery.

Mr Phillip is also giving a number of talks to various women's organisations and young farmers' clubs.

Green Farm will also be involved in the annual Open Farm Sunday on June 1, after attracting more than 500 people last year.

Mr Phillip said: "It was really good, all people wanted was information.

"They just wanted to know what we do and why. It was such good public relations."

Hellifield Highland Beef can be bought at the shop or vacuumpacked and delivered anywhere in Britain.

All cuts of beef can be bought - from joints and steaks to mince, sausages and burgers. A variety of boxes can also be supplied.

Contact 01729-850217 or www.hellifieldhighlandbeef.co.uk