Here at Yerbeston Gate Farm we have reared pigs since 2005, originally buying various breeds in as weaners aged around 10 weeks old. This way we were able to try the various traditional breeds without the commitment of breeding and buying a boar.
We decided on Saddleback Pigs for Breeding in 2006, keeping the gilts (females) from a batch of locally bred saddleback weaners. We bought our boar in May 2007. We now have 14 breeding sows, we chose saddleback pigs as they make great mothers and have a relaxed temperament. They are great at clearing the rough overgrown ground, so much so that we are now fencing more areas for them to start roaming and grazing.

We rear them with their mothers for 10 -12 weeks then they are weaned and given some supplementary feed and silage as they graze outdoors in our paddocks. They remain in their paddock until its their time to satisfy your appetite. The traditional breeds take longer than the commercial pigs to come to the required size, thus the prices may be higher. Some commercial breeds can be finished at approximately 16 to 18 weeks, our Saddleback Pigs can take up to 6 to 10 months before they reach the desired weight.(Pork from the younger smaller animal, Bacon and Gammon from the maturer older ones) This slow rearing approach enhances the flavour through the bonus of a little marbling and a layer of fat that enhances the cooking and eating qualities.

We use a local abattoir to minimise the journey time to about 20 minutes Thus not many food miles at all. We then hang the pork for 7 to 10 days, this is possible as there is a little fat covering, that protects and enhances the flavour of the meat. The slow reared pork meat is succulent with a rich dark pink meat and a superb flavour and crackling. The sausages have a much meatier flavour and texture which has helped us win many awards. We also dry cure our saddlebacks into back bacon, middle bacon, streaky, gammon and pancetta..