Dear Ian Thank you for your enquiry. I have no knowledge of the qualities of Red Poll cattle and cannot comment other than to cofirm that they are regarded these days as a Suffolk cow though they are in fact the product of crossing the extinct Suffolk Dun with the Norfolk Red - also extinct. The former being a dairy cow and the latter raised for beef. There are of course other traditional breeds producing a better beef animal but not with the Suffolk connection. As far as sheep are concerned you can go for the Suffolk if you want but historically it is a relatively new breed being originally a cross between the Southdown and the Norfolk Horn. The Suffolk is now a truly international breed being found all over the world so it can no longer really consider Suffolk to be its home territory. The breed having the oldest and probably the most extensive historical connection with Suffolk is the Norfolk Horn and  they once had a strong base in your particular area. They do not need top quality grazing and do well on grazing that some other breeds would find inadequate. They produce a very good fleece and a good meat carcass though they mature a little more slowly than say a cross bred commercial sheep; however, early Norfolk lambs will still finish by late summer. Late Norfolk lambs will also produce an excellent hogget carcass if taken through the winter into the following spring and some experts say that a hogget slaughtered at a year old is by far the best for eating. We can't show you Red Polls but we can show you Norfolk Horns and would be pleased to see you at Baylham House if you feel like coming over to talk about sheep.