Angus goats in coats knocked the Easter chick off its perch as the weekend’s family favourite – no kidding.
Lunan Bay Farm is the first to sell Scottish cashmere in three decades.
Neil and Jillian McEwan have 150 new spring arrivals whose downy undercoat will eventually provide the luxury wool.
But for now the newborns are clothed in knitted jumpers sent to the family farm between Arbroath and Montrose.
And they were the star attraction for dozens of families who flocked to take part in a unique Easter Sunday farm-to-fibre tour.
Jillian said the response to farm tours over the past to weekends had been astonishing.
“We added an extra 200 tickets during the week and they sold out within two minutes.
“Everyone wants to see our goats.
“What started as a way to keep our smaller newborns cosy has exploded with people sending us their colourful creations from far and wide.”
Cracking family fun
So Sunday saw cutie kiddies line up for goat cuddles with cute kids.
Angus ‘balesy’ Fleur Baxter’s arty talent added some extra Easter smiles.
And visitors were able to see the traditional spinning technique used to create the first cashmere fibre being sold at the farm.
Cashmere comes from under the guard hair of the goat’s coat.
It is super soft, but can take months to get enough fibre from three to five goats for just one jumper.
But the precious down is eight times warmer than sheep’s wool and incredibly light and fine.
The McEwans began farming goats in 2016 as a diversification project on their coastal land.
They began by selling the meat of South African Boer goats.
It proved a sustainable option since goats can leave the land better than they found it, as they thrive on weeds, wild coastal grasses and gorse, often ignored by other livestock.
The couple then began sourcing cashmere goats and the herd quickly grew to more than 250 strong.
Photographer Paul Reid captured more of the farm fun at Lunan Bay.
