Forest Pig Charcuterie win 4 Gold Great Taste Awards

Sally Levell of Forest Pig Charcuterie writes:

We are thrilled that we have been awarded 4 GOLDS in the Great Taste Awards, two of them 2 star. We are particularly pleased that the judges recognised  our artisan production methods and long maturation process that allow the full cured flavour to develop. The judges comments have given us a real boost, this is only our second year trading and it is amazing to receive such fantastic feedback. We also received some good suggestions from the judges that will help us to improve our products further and this is most valuable information.

We source ingredients for quality and provenance and spices are hand ground on the day of use for maximum freshness.  However we firmly believe that the biggest impact on the flavour of our salami is the quality of the meat.  Our pigs are reared to over 12 months of age, spending at least the last 8 months foraging in the Wyre Forest in collaboration with the Forestry Commission, with only minimal supplementary feeding. This provides a high quality carcass with well muscled dark meat.

It can be hard but rewarding work being a “grower producer”, we do everything ourselves from breeding to production. The only part we don’t do is the slaughter but we have the pigs returned to us in halves and do all of the butchery in house.  It can be a long day travelling into the forest to look after the pigs and coming back to carry out production, often followed by a return visit to the forest.

The award winning salami are:

Rustic Salami

Rustic Salami – 2 STAR award Judges comments: Gorgeous, really good quality, full flavoured pork perfectly balanced with the other ingredients. A really good example of artisan charcuterie at its best – intelligent use of flavourings, excellent fermentation and maturation processes.

Spiced Walnut Salami - 2 STAR award Judges comments: Visually beautiful, with lovely visible walnut. Great taste and texture. The aroma is strong but not overpowering, very pleasant to eat, with remarkable length, and just the right amount of heat. Overall a fantastic product

Forager Salami - 1 STAR award Judges comments - A wonderful aroma from this salame. Well balanced cure with very subtle spices, which is good.

Chorizo - 1 STAR award Judges comments - Looked very firm to start but turned into a wonderful blend of coarse and smooth textures. Taste: excellent balance of ingredients.