Zwartbles

A sheep breed from Friesland in the northern Netherlands, traditionally kept for milk, lamb and mutton, often alongside dairy cattle. Numbers fell so far that it was listed as critically rare in the mid-1970s.

Striking: black/brown fleece, white blaze, 2–4 white socks and a white tail tip; both sexes polled. Relatively large, with ewes averaging 85 kg and rams 100 kg. Its dense ~27 µm wool is popular for spinning and felting.

Docile, friendly, easy lambing, prolific, milky and an excellent mother. Coming from a cold, windy homeland, it adapted well to Britain, where its rams are also crossed with other breeds to produce butcher's lambs.