Pigs

Our rare breed Wessex Saddleback pig sows were called Babe, Winnie and Saddleback Samantha. Sadly, Winnie died during the drought of 2019 and we dispatched Babe and Sam rather than watch them suffer the same fate. I miss them every day, my only consolation is that they ghad extraordinary free range lives.

Yes, the animals on our farm have names, even the ones destined for the pot. We believe it shows more respect for the animals and their lives and the ultimate sacrifice they make for us. Plus it helps us, our guests and customers to make the connection between a life and the meat they eat. We all need to respect and value the lives given or taken for us to enjoy meat and its benefits.

Yes, it makes it harder at slaughter time. Tears are always shed. Each and every one of our animals enhances our lives and they all have unique personalities. They are never the same. Some have been bottle reared, some are hand fed, all are loved and bring great joy.

Pigs do important work with their powerful snouts in areas we designate needing their attention! They help clear weedy areas and sweeten the soil with their wonderful manure.

Sadly Everson’s Abattoir at Kempsey has stopped processing pigs, so if we do get pigs again one day (which I am sure we will)they will have to be processed on farm for our use only.

Saddleback meat is very sweet and the breed is a fatty breed. It is the fat which imbues the meat with its sweetness and the challenge for us is picking exactly the right time for slaughter – not too fat, not too thin. Generally speaking that works out to be around 4 – 6 months of age. We do not normally need to drench our piglets although if we need to, we will, just once. Our sows are treated with wormer once a year.

We believe fat is GOOD for you and gives you that lovely feeling of fullness. It is SUGAR that the body turns into fat, not fat. Fat is essential for coating the nerve endings, de-stressing us, and making us better able to handle life’s challenges. Pork fat is to be savoured and saved. We use it for all our frying. Winter kale fried quickly in pork fat with garlic is to be tasted to be believed . . . .