Think you don’t need a cow? That’s only because you haven’t heard of Dexters – a minuscule breed of native Irish cattle. These miniature relics of our Neolithic past produce high-quality beef and milk as creamy as any Jersey cow.
They are even suitable as oxen for pulling and ploughing. Being an ancient breed they thrive outside all year without veterinary care, and even calve without supervision, instinctively hiding their newborns to protect them from a long-remembered threat of wolves. Their excellent, finely marbled fillet steak sells for €35 per kg. Just imagine a couple grazing in the back garden, providing fresh milk each morning. €600 for cow in calf.