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Pork and Bacon from Llandinabo Farm Shop Butchers

ork and bacon from British rare breeds raised naturally is something quite different from the run-of-the-mill produce offered in the mass market. Pork which is succulent, juicy, tender and full of flavour. Roasting joints with light, crispy crackling. All the result of slower maturing in natural conditions from breeds developed for traditional farming methods. And real bacon, bursting with flavour. Bacon from rare breeds lends itself to dry curing which is slower process which eliminates the water used in mass production which causes it to steam while it cooks and leaves a white salty residue in the pan and limp, tasteless rashers. Dry-cured bacon is a delight not to be missed – how real bacon used to taste.

Meat from different breeds varies as do the eating qualities of different varieties of apples or potatoes. Here are some notes on the breeds we offer from time to time. We've also prepared a guide to the different cuts available: click here.

Berkshire
A specialist pork producing breed originating around Wantage, it is renowned for its early maturing. The flavour is light and delicate and well worth looking out for.

British Lop
The rarest of all our pig breeds, the Lop originated in the Devon/Cornwall area. Can be used for both pork and bacon production, the meat is high in quality, succulent, with good flavour.

British Saddleback
A black pig with a white saddle around the shoulders from the Dorset/Hampshire borders and Essex, it is dual-purpose being kept for both pork and bacon. The skin is mostly black and the meat is top quality and full-flavoured.

Gloucestershire Old Spots
An old breed from the vale of the river Severn, they were traditionally kept in orchards so that local folklore has it that the spots were bruises caused by windfall fruit. The meat is well marbled, sweet and delicious, whether as pork or bacon, and is how traditional pork should be.

Middle White
Originating from Yorkshire, the Middle White is early maturing making it a specialist pork breed. This pork is so highly regarded in Japan that they have built a shrine in its honour. Light in colour and well flavoured, the sweet meat is to be savoured. Young Middle Whites also make top quality suckling pigs for special occasions.

Large Black
A west country breed renowned for its hardiness and mothering abilities producing good flavoured, succulent pork or bacon. The black skin protects the pig from sunburn making the Large Black ideal for outdoor production.

Tamworth
This ginger coloured pig originated in the Midlands and is usually considered as a bacon producer but pork from this breed is well worth looking out for with its full flavour and high eating qualities.

Welsh
The Welsh breed is the newest recruit to the ranks of rare breeds and is a little more ‘commercial’ than other rare breeds with a generally leaner carcase.

Watch out too for other products from these breeds such as speciality sausages, mouth watering hams and gammons, faggots, Bath Chaps, patés, pies, brawn, etc.

You may sometimes see black bristles in the skin on the pork; treat this as a sign of quality.

RELATED LINKS
The Different Cuts of Meat | Order Online

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