Momo the Wee Coo's story

Sometimes, chocolate inspiration comes from unique encounters that leave a trace in your mind... Floortje van Schuppen, who looks after the very special Applecross fold, has kindly written the following for us:

"Momo was a special wee member of the Applecross Fold of Highland Cattle. The herd of cattle has about 30 cows that roam freely in the glen of Applecross in the summer. The fold is kept by the Applecross Trust and is perhaps the oldest fold in the UK.

One morning in early spring, Momo was born in one of the beach fields, known as the Faoilinn. Her mother licked her clean and encouraged her to get on her hooves to take the first milk, but Momo was too weak to get up. To save her, we took her into a cozy kitchen, where she was kept dry and warm. During her first day, she managed to drink a bottle of milk and she slowly gained strength. The next day she was so much stronger that she was able to go back to her mother, and even though she learned to drink from her mother's teats, she needed extra milk from the bottle.

Whenever Momo was bottle-fed, her mother stood behind her chewing the cud, keeping a close eye on her wee daughter. Back among the other cows and calves, it was obvious how small she was compared to her brothers and sisters. She also had a very short bottom jaw, which might explain her troubles drinking from mum. Despite her differences, she was fully part of the herd and she made strong connections with her peers, though never forgetting her human family. She loved going for walks with four-legged and two-legged companions, enjoyed neck scratches, and had a special little moo whenever she was called. She was well known by the Applecross community and many visitors, as she attended the Applecross Inn turning on of the Christmas Lights each year.

At the age of 3 ½, she became sick and after 10 days of not feeling well, she died. She has been thoroughly missed by both humans and bovines and we are all delighted that these chocolates are named after her.

All photos courtesy of Floortjte van Schuppen.

Click here for a sweet video of wee Momo at the very beginnings of her short but precious life!