Bottle Farm Charcuterie

Organic Charcuterie from Devon

We have reared traditional breeds of pigs at Bottle Farm for years. Traditionally, every small farm would have had at least a pig or two. They often roamed the farm free range, eating scraps and leaving nothing to waste. In the autumn pigs were slaughtered and much was salted and turned into bacon and hams to see the family through winter and beyond.

Initially our motivation was to learn to make the most delicious bacon and hams possible, but it soon developed into a passion for the continental traditions of fermenting and air-drying. Our humid temperate climate has prevented us from curing in this way in the past but we are now able to control humidity and temperature to produce exceptional preserved meats like this. Britain has long excelled in animal husbandry and the quality of our traditional breeds, each with their peculiarities which make them suitable for rearing in certain parts of the country, or for butchering and cooking in particular ways, means we can now produce fantastic cured meats that might be more familiar to a Spaniard or an Italian.

The local breed is the Large Black, a docile pig with large lop ears almost completely covering its eyes. We have kept many in the past. Their long bodies produce exceptional loins with good marbling but their hams are small. At the moment we have Gloucester Old Spots and Oxford Sandy and Blacks, old breeds which grow slowly and, with plenty of space to exercise, grow muscle and gradually develop flavour that is unmatched by commercial pork.

This year we aim to start selling Bottle Farm Charcuterie online and through a select network of shops throughout the country. Please sign up for our newsletter here to hear from us occasionally as things progress.