FLOWER POT KITCHEN: OUR HOMEGROWN PORK BACK FROM THE FARM

1 Mar 2013

OUR HOMEGROWN PORK BACK FROM THE FARM

THE PRODUCE FROM OUR 1st TWO HOME REARED RARE BREED PIGS

Wahoo we have actually done it! This is our 1st pigs back, our local butcher who after a few sessions, I know I had driven mad! helped us to make the cuts, joints and sausages we wanted, as we did not want standard cuts. Our butcher seasoned and made our sausages for us from the shoulders, spring, hands, and one whole back leg and any trimmings, we then cut the other three back legs into two joints, hams will be made and a 1st roasting joint to celebrate with our family. We've kept all the loins as rack joints, chine bone off and tied back on as a roasting trivet, and cut 24 double chops on the bone with some double chops with the kidneys left on. All the belly's were left whole with the ribs to go as BBQ baby back ribs and the rest I will make bacon, chorizo's and belly joints.

This was a bit hard had the ears, snouts and cheeks back, I kind of think what is the difference, apart from my reaction! a pork butt to a snout it is all the same really !!! But I will admit to having eeek! feelings about handling them, however it is about using all the bits and honouring our pigs so what they have given us all will be used, regardless of my squimish side!

OVERALL YIELD AND COSTS

110kg YIELD

414 X LARGE CUMBERLAND SAUSAGES

8 X WHOLE LOIN RACK JOINTS

3 X LEG JOINTS ON THE BONE

3 X ROLLED LEG JOINTS ON THE BONE

28 X LOIN CHOPS ON THE BONE

2 X WHOLE SPARE RIBS

2 X BABY BACK RIBS

4 X CHEEKS

4 X FAT END BELLY JOINTS

4 X ROLLED BELLY JOINTS

4 X WHOLE SIDES OF BELLY BACON 12kg

8 X TROTTERS

4 X EARS

2 X OINKS

2 X PLUCKS

ALL SKIN BACK PORK SCRATCHINGS & LARD

ALL BACK FAT BACK FOR LARD

COSTS

COST OF 2 RARE BREED PIGS £100

FEED COSTS 4.5MTHS X £319

BEDDING COSTS £49

END COSTS, BUTCHERY & SAUSAGE MAKING 150.00

TOTAL COST £618

TO BUY PORK AT STANDARD PRICES 6.99kg

NOT ORGANIC FREE RANGE PRICES

TOTAL COST £699

WHAT IS SOUL SATISFYING IS SAFE FOOD WE KNOW WHAT OUR PIGS ATE AND THAT THEY HAD A FREE RANGE AND ORGANIC PAMPERED LIFE.

THEY WERE ABLE TO ROOTLE EVERYDAY AND ROLL IN THE MUD, HAVE SPACE TO RUN AROUND AND AROUND AND LOVED HAVING SHOWERS AND WATER BATHS.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.