COUNTRYSIDE
A life in clover for
Stuart’s pigs
When your customers include celebrity chef Rick Stein, the Duchy of Cornwall
and the Island’s Seaview Hotel, then you must be doing something right.
Pig farmer Stuart Pierce has witnessed some
of the methods used by big-name bacon
companies to raise their pigs – and he didn’t
like what he saw. In fact, says Stuart, it made
him positively sad.
So when he moved to the Island ten years
ago from Newbury, Berkshire with his
family, he decided he wanted to breed pigs
in a very different way.
Once he’d settled in, he got in touch with
David Harvey from Rew Valley Dairies,
and between them they decided to start a
welfare-friendly pig farm.
Says Stuart: “I wanted to give my pigs some
sort of natural life, with a chance to roam
free. That’s why I decided to embark on a
free range pig farm, and do my bit to give
pigs a better life.”
He and David got straight down to business
and formed the Isle of Wight Bacon Company
and one of their main objectives from the outset
was the welfare of the pigs.
Stuart said: “It was crucial that our pigs had
quality of life. For us, this was the whole core of
the business, because not only is it good for the
pigs, it also produces much better quality bacon.
“Our pigs are born in a field and they remain
in a field until the day they go to market.
Ultimately they have a really nice life, and this is
very important to us and our business.”
Because Stuart has been so conscientious about
the way his pigs are raised, it has finally begun
to pay dividends for the business. Only recently,
bacon, pork steaks and gammons.
Even the trotters are sold at the
Farmers’ Market.
“Another part of our business that
is growing is supplying to pubs,
restaurants and hotels.
Businesses are becoming very
aware of quality nowadays, and
customers are much more educated
when it comes to food.
“For instance, the Head Chef at
the Seaview Hotel will not use any
other pork apart from ours, and the
same goes for celebrity chef Rick
Stein.”
the Duchy of Cornwall contacted Stuart saying
that they would like to sell his pork under the
Duchy brand.
“This is fantastic news for us” says Stuart. “It
definitely confirms to us that we are doing things
right, and the Duchy are more than happy with
the way we are raising and feeding
our pigs.
“But we think it’s not just a
feather in our cap… as far as we’re
concerned, it’s also good news for
the Island”
In order to fulfil the demand
from the Duchy, Stuart plans
to increase his current
operation so that it
will not diminish the
existing supply that’s
required on the
Island.
“Currently
we prepare around 12 pigs a
week for Island consumption
and this pork is then sold
throughout various Island
outlets - Farmer Jacks, The
Farmers’ Market in Newport, and
of course our own Bacon Company
in Godshill.
“We produce the whole range of pork
products, from sausages in more than
12 different varieties, to cured ham and
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
Below: Mick Ford, who has been
a butcher for most of his life. He says he loves the
job because he knows he is dealing with meat
that has been well cared for and is not plumped
up with
injections of water.
Above: Stuart Pierce
holding one of his
young piglets.
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