Had a very interesting trip down to Yorkshire at the weekend to meet 2 Community Supported Agriculture groups (CSA). They have basically formed to buy shearling lamb (the same thing as we are producing) from the farmers on the North York moors.
The lambs are cut up and divided into 8 packs made up of the different cuts. Interested parties sign up to the group and each member receives 1/8th of a lamb each month until eventually the have had the whole lamb. It seems an excellent way for those who don't have sufficient freezer space or don't want to buy half a lamb at a time, they can pay monthly but must commit to taking all 8 packs. The lamb is usually available between October and May.
I intend to research this further and then maybe hold an information meeting for any interested parties later in the summer.
Having the groups gives the farmers the confidence to keep the lambs on for an extra year until they are shearlings which is when these type of sheep would traditionally been slaughtered. We keep them on for the extra year so that they can graze our conservation sites.