I have become a Pig Farmer

Even the title of this post sounds hilarious.  I have said it to myself a few times now and I still can't get my head around it.

For years, since I worked in a large turkey processing business as a Quality Manager, I have had a horror of intensively reared animals.  People always used to ask me how could I bear to watch the turkeys being slaughtered. I could very easily because it was a welcome relief from a truly horrible life - and this was lived in an EU registered export plant, inspected by Department of Agriculture veterinary surgeons and continuously monitored by them. 

In this country the only animals that live a true free range life are cattle and sheep.  Pigs and poultry live in horrendous conditions, reared in unnaturally confined sheds with no access to fresh air or even bedding in the case of pigs.  How can meat from such animals be healthy?

Chicken and turkeys have to be pumped with antibiotics in their feed as they are housed with so many others that transfer of disease and bacteria is rampant.  I always remember the handy man in the turkey plant came in at lunch one day and told us he had found a turkey with no feathers on it's body, it had been pecked so much from the other birds it was completely raw - yet it was still alive.  He said, and I will always remember it, "if it wasn't for all the antibiotics in it's food, the poor bugger would have died".

Unfortunately pigs are no better and what is worse they are animals with greater intelligence than dogs.  Sows are still kept in farrowing crates where the only movement they can make is to stand up or lie down.  Intensively reared pigs are not allowed bedding in order to prevent the spread of disease.  They cannot root or forage as pigs do naturally and they are fed concentrates.

The option is there to buy free range poultry, but how free range are they really? I have seen poultry called free range, many thousands in a shed with a patch of grass at the side that would be full with a few calves.  Every now and again the vents at the side of the shed are opened and the turkeys - totally institutionalised - peep out and a few brave souls venture forth.  So free range really is a word that has little or no meaning. 

I have chickens primarily for eggs but we have killed some for the pot in the past.  I do not eat eggs any more from the shop.  Firstly, despite what they are labelled they are not free range and secondly they are not even fresh.  If I have to buy chicken I buy "free range" with a heavy heart knowing that it really is not.

At least with chicken you have a choice - with pork there is none.  I don't know of any major supermarket or butcher selling free range pork.  Unless you buy from a friend or a specialised producer, what you buy is intensively reared.  The local craft butcher told me he would not be able to sell free range pork.  I assumed this was because of cost, but no it was because of fat! Consumers have such an abhorrence of fat that they would consume antibiotic-pumped lean pigs producing lean but tasteless meat??

Now I have my own pigs I am looking forward to having my own pork and bacon and so are all my family.  If I get any more customers that will be great but for now I am going to produce only what I can use or distribute among friends and family.

Rainy, Recession Dishes for a Wintery Summer

Sometimes when I am shopping in my local supermarket I come across meat at a really reduced price that I can't resist.  Often they are cuts I would never normally buy so I challenge myself to try and make something tasty with them.

I love lamb but hate the the taste of mutton and a few times I have been caught out buying mutton dressed as lamb so to speak.

I almost never buy shoulder chops as I prefer loin.  But the other day I came across a packet of 4 big lamb shoulder chops at a substantially reduced price and as it was the weekend of my Seven Week Odyssey (diet) I decided to try and make a curry but reducing the calories.

The curry paste was made up as follows:
1 large onion finely chopped or buzzed in a blender preferably with 2 fat cloves of garlic and a piece of ginger the size of your thumb.  Add a good pinch of salt and a tablespoon of sunflower oil.

Remove this mix and add to the blender 2 teaspoons of coriander seeds, cumin seeds and 1 teaspoon of fennel, mustard seeds, nigella seeds and fenugreek.  Buzz these until crushed and add to the onion mix above.

Mix in 1 teaspoon of turmeric, chilli powder (more if you like it spicy), ground cumin, coriander, garam masala, 5 cloves, 2 bay leaves, 2 curry leaves, 5 cardamon pods and a small piece of cinnamon stick.  I also add a red chilli chopped with the seeds.

Trim excess fat off the meat and spread the paste on both sides of the chops and leave overnight or at least 3 hours covered loosely with cling film in fridge.

Scrape the paste off the meat and reserve. Sear the chops on a hot pan and set aside. Add the paste to the pan and stir for a few minutes as heating the spices releases the flavours.

Add the meat back into the spice paste and just cover with water.  

Simmer for approximately an hour.

When the meat has become tender, add 1 sachet of creamed coconut.  When adding it stir continuously to prevent it splitting.  The sauce will thicken. Just before serving add a good handful of finely chopped spinach.


I either serve with a small portion of basmati rice and/or a naan bread and some poppadoms cooked in the microwave.

All curries are far nicer cooked with meat on the bone and also left overnight before serving.  Nigella seeds are available in Sainsburys in Newry or Asia Market, Drury St.                                                               


Tags: curry, lamb shoulder chops, creamed coconut

Jarret de Porc

Jarret de porc also know as a pork hock i.e. a hock that has not been brined.  I bought one from my local butcher weighing 1kg for €1.

A hock this size feeds two people adequately so it is really economical.

Marinate the hock overnight with 500ml of dry cider or a craft beer (O'Hara's ale).  Add some chopped onion, celery, carrot and a bay leaf to the marinade.

Next day strain off the marinate and place in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Skim off any scum that rises to the top and reserve the skimmed liquid.


Fry off more veg of your choice (carrot, celery, onion, garlic and some fresh herbs such as thyme and sage) and transfer to a casserole with the skimmed cider/beer.  Pat the hock dry and sear it on a hot pan.  Place it in the pot.  Add 150ml of chicken or veal stock, season and place in oven for 2-3 hours or until the meat falls off the bone.

Tags: jarret de porc, pork hock, O'Haras

Little Balls of Heaven

I love meatballs and have experimented with many different recipes to finally achieve what I believe are the best ever.



I use a 50:50 beef and pork. I find the beef needs to be lean and the pork less so.  Preferably mince your own and use the best quality you can afford.





250g each minced beef and pork
1 medium red onion finely chopped with 1 clove garlic softened in some butter
A good handful of chopped herbs (I used sage, oregano and mint)
1 egg to bind if required
Salt and pepper
1 pack of fresh Mozzarella

Mix all the ingredients together when the onion and garlic mix have cooled.  Make a well in the centre of the meat ball and place a piece of mozzarella in it. Form the meat until it encloses the cheese.
                                                                   
                                                                 
Seal the meatballs on a hot pan.  If you are serving with a tomato sauce and pasta, they can be cooked through when transferred into the sauce.  If not then they must be cooked through on the pan but not overcooked or they will become like dry bullets.  Some of the mozzarella may ooze out but it becomes browned and it is delicious. 

This recipe makes enough for 3-4 depending on appetite.  Serve with a tomato sauce made from either fresh tomatoes or a tin of good quality peeled plum tomatoes cooked down with some onion, garlic and fresh herbs, a teaspoon of sugar and a splash of red wine.  Serve with tagliatelle or new potatoes and vegetables if preferred.






Tags: Meatballs  Pork and Beef Recipes  Food