A brother and sister from a small mid Wales farm will open this year’s Royal Welsh Winter Fair on November 25.

Steffan and Elin Rattray are a 23- and 22-year-old brother and sister who were brought up on a small farm, Ffosyfuwch, in the Ystwyth Valley, around five miles from Aberystwyth.

The family run a butchery business, Rattray’s Butchers, in the middle of Aberystwyth, and both have shown a keen interest in the farm work and in the family’s butchers’ business.

They attended Llanfihangel y Creuddyn Primary School and Ysgol Gyfun Penweddig, before going on to study Agri-Food Marketing and Business at Harper Adams University.

As part of their degree courses, both spent a year working in industry.

Steffan worked at Dunbia in Llanybydder and Elin worked for Whoodhead Bros (Morrisons) in Leicestershire. Hegraduated in the summer of 2023 and Elin is in her final year. Through the university, both won the 2022 Butchers & Drovers Charitable Institute Scholarship from the Worshipful Guild of Butchers.

Since graduating, Steffan has returned to Aberystwyth to take care of the butchery business. He is responsible for the day to day running of the business, which employs five full-time staff, at the shop in the centre of Aberystwyth and to catering customers from the meat unit on the farm at New Cross.

  • Don't miss our next edition of Pembrokeshire Farmer, available free inside the Western Telegraph on November 27
     

Steffan buys cattle, lambs and pigs from local farms, which are processed at a local abattoir in Tregaron, before preparing it at the meat unit at New Cross, and then sending it to the shop in Aberystwyth.

Elin is currently in her final year at Harper Adams University. She grew up helping with the business and still looks forward to returning during the holidays and at weekends to help. After graduating, Elin intends to do some travelling before returning to work in the meat and livestock industry.

Together, they keep a small flock of Blue Texels and over the years, have enjoyed showing them at local shows and at the Royal Welsh Show. They are both members of Trisant YFC and have taken part in various activities within the organisation. They have competed at county, Wales and UK level in a variety of competitions, mainly stock judging and have won at the Royal Welsh Show and at the Winter Fair.