WELCOME A PINCH OF SALT apinchofsaltcuring.co.uk Hampshire-based A Pinch of Salt uses free-range and pannage pork from smallholders in the New Forest and Hampshire borders. Produced by butcher Alan Bartlett with recipes developed by The Pig Hotel group’s James Golding, the award-winning range includes coppa, lomo, red wine salami, chorizo, bresaola and its Parma-style Karma hams (whole airdried pork legs). “We most recently started to cure a new range of New Forest Wild boar, which has a fantastic colour and an incredible depth of flavour,” says Golding.
ALTERNATIVE MEATS (BLIGHTY BILTONG) alternativemeats.co.uk As sole UK distributor for Welsh waygu beef, Alternative Meats is able to use this premium ingredient for its Blighty Biltong brand. All four flavours of Blighty Biltong - chimichurri, ras el hanout, chipotle and ‘untouched’ – have won Great Taste awards, and they are now available to the trade after launching directto-consumer online. A minimum £4.00/pack delivers a 30% margin on a trade price of £2.85/ pack biltong, says director Jeannie Tomlin, whose son David developed the range.
BEAL’S FARM bealsfarmcharcuterie.com Winner of the Champion Product title at the 2018 British Charcuterie Awards, East Sussex-based Beal’s Farm (BCAs) specialises in charcuterie made from Mangalitza pigs, a Hungarian rare breed famed for its thick, woolly, sheeplike coat. The animals are reared on a mix of woodland and pasture to ensure the highest quality pork. All Mangalitza pigs deliver meat high in Omega 3 oils and monounsaturated fats. Beal’s Farm products include coppa, spalla (pork shoulder) and lomo, as well as the BCA winning special reserve air-dried ham.
BLACK HAND FOOD blackhandfood.com Established five years ago in East London, Black Hand Food has now scaled up production with a dedicated site in North London. It supplies catering, hospitality and deli customers nationwide with products made using only rare breed meat from across the UK. Recently added to the range is a line of fresh sausages and dry-cured and matured bacon, as well as the salamis and prime cut charcuterie which made Black Hand’s reputation.
BLACK MOUNTAIN SMOKERY smoked-foods.co.uk A family business based in the Brecon Beacons, Black Mountain uses ingredients chosen for their “quality, provenance and sustainability”, which are traditionally cured then gently smoked over Welsh oak. Developed over more than two decades in business, the range includes smoked fish, meats and cheese, available for retailers and caterers as well as in luxury hampers and gourmet gifts. Its “very juicy and moist” oak smoked chicken breast won 2 stars at Great Taste 2018.
BOTHA BILTONG bothabiltongboxes.com Grass-fed meat from a local Essex farmer is combined with spices imported from South Africa in Botha Biltong’s range, made to authentic South African family recipes. As well as biltong, Botha makes Droewors, a dried sausage stick, and Boerewors, a large round sausage “perfect to put on the BBQ”. The Colchester-based business sells online and direct to consumer as well as to “retailers looking to sell true quality artisan British produce”.
A-Z of charcuterie suppliers Our 2019 guide includes nearly 90 suppliers, including a clutch of specialist importers and wholesalers listed on pages 35-36. Whether you’re looking for Continental-style salamis, South African biltong or British classics like black pudding and Lincolnshire haslet, you’ll find it here. Compiled by MICK WHITWORTH and AJ SHARP
A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST
THE CURE 2019-20
13