We’re rather proud of our Highland Cows. Our Highland cow rattle is a gorgeous baby Highland Cow and the range of Highland Cow gifts also includes a shaggy Highland Cow teddy, and Highland Cow hanging decorations.
Highland cows have been around longer than any other native cow breed. They were first mentioned as far back as 6th century in the Hebrides and have been a staple of Scottish farming. Their double coat means that they can endure very low temperatures.
They represent perseverance, strength and resilience which is why they make such popular baby gifts. It helps that they are very cute looking too!
It is said that the Highland Cows were all sorts of colours until Queen Victoria mentioned that she preferred the copper coloured cows. The red coats then became a lot more popular and although other colours are definitely still available it is the red coat which is most recognised.
The Highland Cows are a common sight in the north of Scotland where they are still bred for their meat and milk - their meat is growing in popularity due to it being lower in cholesterol than other forms of beef. They spend about 8 hours a day grazing and can eat up to 70kg of grass! They can now be seen much further south as the large herd built up by Queen Elizabeth at Balmoral has been moved to Hampton Court Palace while The King rewilds the estate to restore the original peatland. There are even Highland Cows now in Australia, New Zealand and 10,000 feet up in the Andes!
Why are our Highland Cow gifts so special?
Made in gender neutral colours they are both soft and tactile. Manufactured to be suitable from birth the rattle is gorgeously soft and safe for new born babies. The toys are stuffed with 100% recycled material.
We also have a Highland Cow Xmas decoration. Every home should have one!
And to celebrate our Highland Cow gifts here are some Scottish words used by our Scottish sale manager that we love to hear and she doesn’t even notice using:
Coo – Scottish for Cow, now most commonly used to refer to a Highland Cow
Bairns or weens – Both mean baby, but it depends if the shop is in Glasgow or Edinburgh
Blether – chatterbox, talking away
Dreich – grey and rainy, usually used for weather related discussions
