This site contains pictures, descriptions & recipes for Linda Dick Chickens. This is a small buisiness supplying large traditional free range chickens in & around Edinburgh, Scotland. Endorsed byClarrissa Dickson Wright, Sue Lawrence, Gordon Ramsay, Nick Nairn
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Linda Dick Chickens


We have now been producing high quality free range chickens for a number of years. Our emphasis is first and foremost to produce a bird with excellent flavour and texture in as natural a way as possible. According to chefs Nick Nairn, Clarissa Dickson Wright, Sue Lawrence and Gordon Ramsay, we are succeeding!

Our birds range from around 6 lbs to an enormous 15 lbs in weight (oven ready). Our eldest son Iain's ambition is to produce a 20lb (liveweight) bird but to date the heaviest has been 18½lbs - these birds are quite a sight; in order to grow to this weight they need to be incredibly fit - catching them can be a very hazardous business!! (which is where our the phrase "vicious but delicious" came from). We believe that the incredible flavour and tenderness of our birds is a result of them being given time to mature slowly, then dry plucked and hung for a few days.

 

We have recently started to produce a few cold smoked chicken breasts and fillets – these are cold oak smoked, a process which gives a wonderful delicate flavour without actually cooking it. The fillet must then be cooked before being eaten and is succulent and delicious. Hot or cold it is very versatile and may be roasted, or even barbecued. It is also ideal cold for salads, starters  and sandwiches. Average weight of whole breast is around 1kg.

These chicks are only a few days old and are still at the cuddly stage. At this point the most important thing is to keep them warm and give them plenty of food and water, but they will soon be ready to enjoy the outdoor life.

These chickens are 7 weeks old, confined to their shed during the night but allowed to roam their field during the day, which strengthens their legs, enabling them to grow into the large birds seen below.

These are some of our larger chickens - around sixteen to eighteen weeks old.

Whilst running around they can be quite vicious but once cooked they are indeed delicious!

   

Our birds are fed a high quality additive free ration, housed in a large straw bedded shed at night and are kept at extremely low stocking rates. We do not start to kill until at least 12 weeks old and most are older, they are then dry plucked and hung in our chill for up to a week. All this ensures that the finished product is the ultimate in taste and texture.


Check out our recipe page for cooking suggestions