This year’s pannage pork season is now underway with the pigs roaming free throughout the New Forest. While it is not a great acorn year, the beech mast is particularly fine and the warm start to the Autumn and the recent rain should ensure a bumper harvest of wild mushrooms. I imagine that the pigs would be more adept to hunting these out then any London chefs, but who knows?
The pannage pigs also eat bracken and bramble and are very effective at clearing the forest floor – allowing tree saplings light and space to grow – ensuring natural woodland regeneration. One of the main purposes of pannage was to clear the forest floor of acorns which are poisonous to the wild horses.
The pigs will roam freely until at least the 23rd November when some of them will be rounded up for the table. Depending on conditions, they are usually finished on oats and barley.
If you would like any pannage pork in the run up to Christmas, do let us know, as we are working on a first come, first serve basis. We will be offering 3 sizes of pannage box, with a selection of cuts in each box. Prices will start at £35.
This is the most natural form of pig rearing in the UK and has been getting a lot of press recently, so don’t miss out on the opportunity to taste some of this fantastic pannage pork.