Woodland pork
from rare-breed, proper outdoor, slow grown pigs
How they live
Our pigs are the freest ranging as you would imagine they should be. They live either in a pasture, or a woodland. Here, they are enclosed in mobile fenced areas. Once they have eaten all forage in their current paddock, they are moved to a new piece of woodland or pasture.
In this way, they continually forage for green leaves, roots, nuts, seeds and insect, as each their new area has plentiful.
In this woodland, our Large Black pigs are enjoying foraging and eating greenery, roots, nuts, seeds and leaves. It’s pigs’ haven.
Pigs as master restorers
Since our pigs do not remain in a single area for more than 2 weeks, and not return until next year, their action on the land is beneficial, rather than destructive. Pigs like to root to look for roots, shoots and insect. However, if left in an area for too long, they can create over-compacted landscape devoid of any plants (a pig moonscape).
Instead, our pigs only gently root over the land and clear it from nettles and brambles. Such disturbance brings up seeds of plants currently not present in the forest undergrowth, and allows them to sprout. Some seeds can survive in the soil for 100 years.
The biodiversity of the forest floor or old pasture increases as a result. In nature, pigs are the tools of woodland and grassland restoration. We allow them to do just that – for higher biodiversity and richer wildlife habitats.
3 years ago, this Large Black pig along with his friends helped us to clear the woodland understory from dense nettles and brambles. The rooting action waked up dormant seeds and increased biodiversity and thus wildlife habitats.
Today, 3 years on in the woodland. The woodland biodiversity flourished – new plants emerged and a huge new biodiversity of the woodland floor was formed. But only because we do not allow pigs to stay in one area of woodland for too long, so that they do not damage it beyond repair. They also do not return to the same area for a whole year.
Feeding regime to promote high level of foraging
We feed our pigs only GM-free and soya-free feed. They receive twice daily ration, so they are never overfilled with commercial feed.
Instead, they become keen foragers for most part of the day, and eat grass, leaves, roots, nuts, seeds and insect. In this way, the natural part of their diet gives the meat complexity of flavour unlike any other.
Tasty meat
Our meat is dry aged for several days before our butchers expertly cut it. A range of steaks and joints reveal the diversity of flavours our pork offers – from the dry loin and chops, to the juicier leg steaks and even juicier and flavourful marbled collar steaks.
