Venison Recipes

Roast Saddle of Venison with Braised Radicchio & Pickled Walnuts

By

It’s a testament to the pioneering team at Swaledale Butchers that a cut more often found in the hands of a chef can now find its way onto your dining table. Don’t let that put you off – embrace the opportunity to cook something truly special.

A saddle of venison is a stunning cut to prepare. The tender, rich loin meat is protected by a natural layer of fat during roasting, ensuring a perfect medium-rare finish with a deep, rich red throughout. It’s a dish that’s bound to impress and highlight the versatility of this heritage venison recipe.

The red wine-braised lentils are a classic accompaniment, a recipe worth having up your sleeve as they pair beautifully with a variety of meats. And let’s not forget the braised radicchio – an eye-opener that will leave you envious of the people of Northern Italy, who have been savouring its delights for generations. These thoughtfully paired flavours create a dish that feels both indulgent and grounded in culinary tradition.

Serves: 6-8

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

Lentils

Braised Radicchio

Sauce

Method

Preparing the Venison Saddle

  1. Start by removing the venison saddle from the fridge and its packaging. Allow it to come to room temperature, as this step ensures a more even cook and better texture.
  2. Preheat your oven to 160°C.

Making the Sauce

  1. Roast the Bones: Preheat your oven to 160°C. Place the beef bones in a roasting tray and roast for 30 minutes until golden and caramelised.
  2. Prepare the Vegetables: While the bones roast, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, and juniper berries. Cover with a lid and sweat the vegetables, stirring regularly, for about 20 minutes, or until they are soft and sweet.
  3. Combine Bones and Vegetables: Carefully transfer the roasted bones into the pan with the vegetables.
  4. De-glaze the Roasting Tray: Pour the red wine into the roasting tray and scrape up any browned bits. Tip this deglazed liquid into the pot with the bones and vegetables, then bring everything to a boil.
  5. Add Stock and Herbs: Once boiling, add the chicken stock, rosemary, and thyme. Bring back to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for about 1 hour.
  6. Strain and Reduce: After an hour, remove the pot from the heat and let it rest for 20 minutes. Strain the contents through a fine sieve, discarding the bones and vegetables. Return the strained liquid to the heat and simmer for another 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
  7. Season and Finish: Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Your sauce is now ready to accompany the venison saddle or any other dish you’ve prepared.

Preparing the Lentils

  1. Cook the Lardons: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the smoked lardons and stir regularly, letting them brown and render their fat.
  2. Sweat the Vegetables: Once the lardons are browned and swimming in rendered fat, add the onions, carrots, garlic, celery, celeriac, and a generous pinch of salt. Cover with a lid and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft and just starting to colour.
  3. Add the Lentils and Wine: Stir in the lentils and pour in the red wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let the wine cook off for a couple of minutes.
  4. Simmer with Stock and Herbs: Add the chicken stock, bouquet garni, 3 more tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and another pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Adjust Consistency: If the lentils start to look a little dry during cooking, add a splash more chicken stock to keep them moist.

This method ensures tender, flavour-packed lentils that make a perfect accompaniment to the venison saddle or other hearty dishes.

Cooking the Venison Saddle and Accompaniments

  1. Prepare the Venison: Season the venison saddle generously with salt. Heat a large pan over high heat. Once hot, reduce the heat to medium and add the venison. Brown it on all sides, rotating it every minute or so. If the pan becomes too hot, lower the heat to avoid scorching the fat. The goal is to achieve a nice colour while rendering some of the fat.
  2. Add Butter and Baste: Once the venison is browned all over, add a knob of butter to the pan and baste the joint thoroughly. Transfer the venison to the oven, either in the same pan or on an oven tray. Set a timer for 12 minutes.
  3. Check the Lentils: While the venison cooks, check the lentils. They should be soft and creamy but not mushy—avoid an al dente texture. Adjust the seasoning as needed, adding a splash of sherry or another good vinegar to balance the flavours.
  4. Baste and Rotate: When the timer goes off, remove the venison from the oven and baste it again. Rotate the joint so the side that was against the pan is now facing up. Baste thoroughly and return it to the oven for another 12 minutes.
  5. Cook the Radicchio: Quarter the radicchio and wash it well. Heat 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the garlic cloves, gently crushed with the back of a knife, and cook for 30 seconds to release their aroma. Add the radicchio with a generous pinch of salt and cook on high heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Turn the heat down if it becomes too intense. Add the sherry vinegar and picked thyme, stir well, and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
  6. Final Baste and Test the Venison: After the second 12-minute segment, remove the venison from the oven and baste it again. Test the doneness by inserting a small knife into the centre of the joint, then gently pressing the knife against your lip. It should feel warm, just above body temperature, indicating it’s ready for a long rest. If it feels cold, return the venison to the oven in 4-minute intervals until warm.
  7. Rest the Venison: Allow the venison to rest in a warm place for at least 30 minutes.
  8. Reheat and Finish the Sauce: Reheat the prepared sauce gently. Slice the pickled walnuts into small “coins” and add them to the sauce along with a splash of their pickling liquor. Stir well to combine and ensure the sauce is hot before serving.
  9. Plate and Serve: Slice the rested venison, ensuring each plate is generously coated with the sauce and pickled walnut pieces. Serve alongside the creamy lentils and caramelised radicchio for a beautifully balanced and flavourful dish.

Order meat online

For 15 years, George worked in some of London’s most loved restaurants, including Padella and Primeur, and spent five years as Head Chef at the Garden Museum Café. He earned praise for his simple, thoughtful cooking, with dishes rooted in the classics and always respectful of the ingredients.

In 2021, George realised a long-held ambition with the release of his first cookbook, A Year in the Kitchen. It celebrates the annual cookery cycle, guiding readers through the British seasons, showcasing native produce and encouraging creativity year-round.

In 2022, George left London and returned to his native Yorkshire. His passion for seasonal cooking and respect for quality British ingredients have remained central to his work. Like his food, George is led by the seasons, open to new opportunities and always following his heart.

Instagram

  • A prize bull is an intimidating thing to see up close. It is also, in its way, awe inspiring. We recently took the team from @bavettebistro in Leeds, headed by @sandy_jarvis, up to meet one of the most prized Highland herds in the country at @andylambertfarmer. There is a particular kind of patience that cannot be hurried along by anyone’s convenience, least of all ours. Swaledale beef carries that patience in it. The cattle are given the time they need, nothing more urgent than the season allows, and that unhurried pace is not an inconvenience but the whole point. Years of quiet, careful work go into each animal, not simply to raise it well, but to leave the breed better than it was found. It is easy for chefs, buried in the daily grind of running a business, to lose sight of where their ingredients actually come from. Trips like this bring it back into focus. We work hard for consistency, but we also work with real cattle, real landscapes, and real farmers, and that means every animal comes with its own shape and character. We work with chefs who understand this. Real produce was never meant to be cylindrical, never perfect on demand. The stuff that always looks the same is usually claiming to be something it isn’t. Stand next to a bull like that and you understand what none of this can be rushed.
  • It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of James Hall. James farmed high on the hills of Wharfedale, where he kept a flock of Swaledale &Cheviot sheep and rare breed cattle; Red Ruby Devons and Belted Galloways — on the kind of exposed, demanding ground those animals were bred for. The mutton that came from his farm was some of the finest we have worked with, the product of a man who understood his land, his breeds, and what it takes to do this properly. He was one of our longest-standing farmers, and ours was the kind of direct relationship that makes this work meaningful. We will miss him. Our thoughts are with his family.
  • A lot of our farmers are a long way from anywhere. Up in the hills, an hour or more from the nearest major town, and not especially bothered about it. That distance tends to produce a particular kind of farmer, less inclined to chase accreditations or certifications, less interested in being told how to do what they already know how to do. What they have instead is a deep knowledge of their land, and a quiet conviction that the old ways are usually the right ones. That conviction doesn’t always mean chasing volume. Lower inputs, lower turnover, but the margins tend to hold, just the same as if he were pushing harder for more. Better for the soil too, and the livestock. The food that comes out of these farms tastes like it should. Food these farmers would put on their own tables, feed their own families. The same product our chefs have built menus around, and that you cook at home. So this is a small hat tip to farmers like Ed Staveley, who farm the hard ways, just as the hills demand.
  • Sausages appear in great food cultures all over the world. We never tire of discovering them, and we always want to represent them properly. Which is why we love to make them in partnership with chefs, cooks, or true specialists in that cuisine, or passionate enthusiasts who know it from the inside. This is Kwa Ko — a Cambodian beef sausage made in collaboration with @barang_london , the project of @tomgeoffrey. Since launching his residency at The Globe in Borough Market, Tom has been bringing the fresh, vibrant flavours of Cambodia to London’s restaurant scene. It didn’t take long before the conversation turned to sausages. Cambodian sausage traditions are strong. What we’ve made together is genuinely distinctive: beef chuck and brisket with galangal, lemongrass, garlic, makrut lime leaves, white Kampot pepper and steamed jasmine rice. The rice is the detail that makes it, it gives the sausage a characteristic light sourness, another layer of complexity that sets it apart from anything we’ve made before. Available now, in limited numbers, so be quick!
  • We are firmly of the belief that our pork is as good as it has ever been, the breeding, the rearing, the dry ageing and of course the butchery. All of it functioning in harmony to provide us with some high-grade pork. Loin chops seem to be having their moment in the sun, currently a firm favourite amongst our restaurant community, and rightly so. A classic; the leaner eye meat enveloped by a lovely cover of fat, cut thick and cooked well, they are so, so good. A little less well known, but no less delicious, and a cracking option for sharing, our shoulder chops are a slightly different beast. We split our shoulders in half and age the so-called Boston butt, when ready, the shoulder chops are cut from this section. The eye meat is made up of the collar or neck fillet and has excellent natural marbling. You then get a little of the blade and the muscles that surround it, this is darker, more richly flavoured meat. You still get the cover of fat, which, once rendered, tastes incredible. All in all, a fantastic sharing chop and a slight point of difference from the loin chops. Both supremely delicious!
  • The process of developing a dish with chefs is a rewarding one, made all the more so when we have the chance to eat the end product. As was the case here upon a recent (ish) visit to @rambutan_ldn Conversations around the best steak to use for this dish began months ago and we were able to offer our expert advice as Sofia and her team fine-tuned the balance of flavours, spices and textures. A few different cuts were trialled, and, in the end, it was our rump steaks which triumphed! Their flavour and fat able to be carried by that rich and deep curry sauce, with brighter notes and acidity being offered up by the parsley temper and little pearls of onion. It is truly a triumph. A marriage of Yorkshire beef and traditional Sri Lankan flavours and we couldn’t be prouder to see it on the menu and being enjoyed by their lucky guests!
  • What salt should you use when cooking steaks and chops? Does it matter? Well, we have, in the past, taken some heat in the comments from people saying that we are using the wrong salt on our steaks. “You should be using fine salt!”, “flaky salt on steaks!! NO WAY!”, “It just falls off!”, to give you a few examples. So, to put the debate to bed we undertook an extremely controlled, scientific experiment to determine which salt is the best salt to use on your steaks. In a field, with a piece of goose skirt, a barbecue and two varieties of sea salt (that’s one important detail, to use sea salt, not table salt) and a desire to eat well seasoned steak. Poor us! Watch the video to find our conclusions, which will also feature in an academic journal soon – a seminal piece of scientific research. #sodiyum #flakysalt4life
  • A recent visit to see Ed Stavely’s pigs on the Swinton Estate, where a landscape not traditionally associated with pig keeping is slowly being reshaped through careful management and a willingness to do things a little differently. The pigs are largely native breeds, often crossed with Duroc to help them fare better through the long Yorkshire winters and the exposed conditions up on the estate. Hardy, slow-growing animals that seem to suit both the land and the philosophy behind the system. They are part of a wider effort to restore ground that had, in places, drifted too far from balance. Their rooting clears rougher areas, disturbs the soil naturally and creates opportunities for new herbal lays, healthier pasture and eventually species-rich hay meadows to return. There are certainly easier places to rear pigs, but it is difficult not to admire the determination to make this sort of farming work in a landscape like this, where the focus stretches beyond production alone and towards the long-term health of the land itself.
@swaledalebutchers
@swaledalebutchers
•
Follow
A prize bull is an intimidating thing to see up close. It is also, in its way, awe inspiring. We recently took the team from @bavettebistro in Leeds, headed by @sandy_jarvis, up to meet one of the most prized Highland herds in the country at @andylambertfarmer. There is a particular kind of patience that cannot be hurried along by anyone’s convenience, least of all ours. Swaledale beef carries that patience in it. The cattle are given the time they need, nothing more urgent than the season allows, and that unhurried pace is not an inconvenience but the whole point. Years of quiet, careful work go into each animal, not simply to raise it well, but to leave the breed better than it was found. It is easy for chefs, buried in the daily grind of running a business, to lose sight of where their ingredients actually come from. Trips like this bring it back into focus. We work hard for consistency, but we also work with real cattle, real landscapes, and real farmers, and that means every animal comes with its own shape and character. We work with chefs who understand this. Real produce was never meant to be cylindrical, never perfect on demand. The stuff that always looks the same is usually claiming to be something it isn’t. Stand next to a bull like that and you understand what none of this can be rushed.
3 days ago
745
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1/8
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of James Hall. James farmed high on the hills of Wharfedale, where he kept a flock of Swaledale &Cheviot sheep and rare breed cattle; Red Ruby Devons and Belted Galloways — on the kind of exposed, demanding ground those animals were bred for. The mutton that came from his farm was some of the finest we have worked with, the product of a man who understood his land, his breeds, and what it takes to do this properly. He was one of our longest-standing farmers, and ours was the kind of direct relationship that makes this work meaningful. We will miss him. Our thoughts are with his family.
@swaledalebutchers
@swaledalebutchers
•
Follow
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of James Hall. James farmed high on the hills of Wharfedale, where he kept a flock of Swaledale &Cheviot sheep and rare breed cattle; Red Ruby Devons and Belted Galloways — on the kind of exposed, demanding ground those animals were bred for. The mutton that came from his farm was some of the finest we have worked with, the product of a man who understood his land, his breeds, and what it takes to do this properly. He was one of our longest-standing farmers, and ours was the kind of direct relationship that makes this work meaningful. We will miss him. Our thoughts are with his family.
2 weeks ago
2259
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2/8
@swaledalebutchers
@swaledalebutchers
•
Follow
A lot of our farmers are a long way from anywhere. Up in the hills, an hour or more from the nearest major town, and not especially bothered about it. That distance tends to produce a particular kind of farmer, less inclined to chase accreditations or certifications, less interested in being told how to do what they already know how to do. What they have instead is a deep knowledge of their land, and a quiet conviction that the old ways are usually the right ones. That conviction doesn’t always mean chasing volume. Lower inputs, lower turnover, but the margins tend to hold, just the same as if he were pushing harder for more. Better for the soil too, and the livestock. The food that comes out of these farms tastes like it should. Food these farmers would put on their own tables, feed their own families. The same product our chefs have built menus around, and that you cook at home. So this is a small hat tip to farmers like Ed Staveley, who farm the hard ways, just as the hills demand.
3 weeks ago
115
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3/8
Sausages appear in great food cultures all over the world. We never tire of discovering them, and we always want to represent them properly. Which is why we love to make them in partnership with chefs, cooks, or true specialists in that cuisine, or passionate enthusiasts who know it from the inside. This is Kwa Ko — a Cambodian beef sausage made in collaboration with @barang_london , the project of @tomgeoffrey. Since launching his residency at The Globe in Borough Market, Tom has been bringing the fresh, vibrant flavours of Cambodia to London’s restaurant scene. It didn’t take long before the conversation turned to sausages. Cambodian sausage traditions are strong. What we’ve made together is genuinely distinctive: beef chuck and brisket with galangal, lemongrass, garlic, makrut lime leaves, white Kampot pepper and steamed jasmine rice. The rice is the detail that makes it, it gives the sausage a characteristic light sourness, another layer of complexity that sets it apart from anything we’ve made before. Available now, in limited numbers, so be quick!
Sausages appear in great food cultures all over the world. We never tire of discovering them, and we always want to represent them properly. Which is why we love to make them in partnership with chefs, cooks, or true specialists in that cuisine, or passionate enthusiasts who know it from the inside. This is Kwa Ko — a Cambodian beef sausage made in collaboration with @barang_london , the project of @tomgeoffrey. Since launching his residency at The Globe in Borough Market, Tom has been bringing the fresh, vibrant flavours of Cambodia to London’s restaurant scene. It didn’t take long before the conversation turned to sausages. Cambodian sausage traditions are strong. What we’ve made together is genuinely distinctive: beef chuck and brisket with galangal, lemongrass, garlic, makrut lime leaves, white Kampot pepper and steamed jasmine rice. The rice is the detail that makes it, it gives the sausage a characteristic light sourness, another layer of complexity that sets it apart from anything we’ve made before. Available now, in limited numbers, so be quick!
Sausages appear in great food cultures all over the world. We never tire of discovering them, and we always want to represent them properly. Which is why we love to make them in partnership with chefs, cooks, or true specialists in that cuisine, or passionate enthusiasts who know it from the inside. This is Kwa Ko — a Cambodian beef sausage made in collaboration with @barang_london , the project of @tomgeoffrey. Since launching his residency at The Globe in Borough Market, Tom has been bringing the fresh, vibrant flavours of Cambodia to London’s restaurant scene. It didn’t take long before the conversation turned to sausages. Cambodian sausage traditions are strong. What we’ve made together is genuinely distinctive: beef chuck and brisket with galangal, lemongrass, garlic, makrut lime leaves, white Kampot pepper and steamed jasmine rice. The rice is the detail that makes it, it gives the sausage a characteristic light sourness, another layer of complexity that sets it apart from anything we’ve made before. Available now, in limited numbers, so be quick!
Sausages appear in great food cultures all over the world. We never tire of discovering them, and we always want to represent them properly. Which is why we love to make them in partnership with chefs, cooks, or true specialists in that cuisine, or passionate enthusiasts who know it from the inside. This is Kwa Ko — a Cambodian beef sausage made in collaboration with @barang_london , the project of @tomgeoffrey. Since launching his residency at The Globe in Borough Market, Tom has been bringing the fresh, vibrant flavours of Cambodia to London’s restaurant scene. It didn’t take long before the conversation turned to sausages. Cambodian sausage traditions are strong. What we’ve made together is genuinely distinctive: beef chuck and brisket with galangal, lemongrass, garlic, makrut lime leaves, white Kampot pepper and steamed jasmine rice. The rice is the detail that makes it, it gives the sausage a characteristic light sourness, another layer of complexity that sets it apart from anything we’ve made before. Available now, in limited numbers, so be quick!
Sausages appear in great food cultures all over the world. We never tire of discovering them, and we always want to represent them properly. Which is why we love to make them in partnership with chefs, cooks, or true specialists in that cuisine, or passionate enthusiasts who know it from the inside. This is Kwa Ko — a Cambodian beef sausage made in collaboration with @barang_london , the project of @tomgeoffrey. Since launching his residency at The Globe in Borough Market, Tom has been bringing the fresh, vibrant flavours of Cambodia to London’s restaurant scene. It didn’t take long before the conversation turned to sausages. Cambodian sausage traditions are strong. What we’ve made together is genuinely distinctive: beef chuck and brisket with galangal, lemongrass, garlic, makrut lime leaves, white Kampot pepper and steamed jasmine rice. The rice is the detail that makes it, it gives the sausage a characteristic light sourness, another layer of complexity that sets it apart from anything we’ve made before. Available now, in limited numbers, so be quick!
Sausages appear in great food cultures all over the world. We never tire of discovering them, and we always want to represent them properly. Which is why we love to make them in partnership with chefs, cooks, or true specialists in that cuisine, or passionate enthusiasts who know it from the inside. This is Kwa Ko — a Cambodian beef sausage made in collaboration with @barang_london , the project of @tomgeoffrey. Since launching his residency at The Globe in Borough Market, Tom has been bringing the fresh, vibrant flavours of Cambodia to London’s restaurant scene. It didn’t take long before the conversation turned to sausages. Cambodian sausage traditions are strong. What we’ve made together is genuinely distinctive: beef chuck and brisket with galangal, lemongrass, garlic, makrut lime leaves, white Kampot pepper and steamed jasmine rice. The rice is the detail that makes it, it gives the sausage a characteristic light sourness, another layer of complexity that sets it apart from anything we’ve made before. Available now, in limited numbers, so be quick!
@swaledalebutchers
@swaledalebutchers
•
Follow
Sausages appear in great food cultures all over the world. We never tire of discovering them, and we always want to represent them properly. Which is why we love to make them in partnership with chefs, cooks, or true specialists in that cuisine, or passionate enthusiasts who know it from the inside. This is Kwa Ko — a Cambodian beef sausage made in collaboration with @barang_london , the project of @tomgeoffrey. Since launching his residency at The Globe in Borough Market, Tom has been bringing the fresh, vibrant flavours of Cambodia to London’s restaurant scene. It didn’t take long before the conversation turned to sausages. Cambodian sausage traditions are strong. What we’ve made together is genuinely distinctive: beef chuck and brisket with galangal, lemongrass, garlic, makrut lime leaves, white Kampot pepper and steamed jasmine rice. The rice is the detail that makes it, it gives the sausage a characteristic light sourness, another layer of complexity that sets it apart from anything we’ve made before. Available now, in limited numbers, so be quick!
4 weeks ago
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@swaledalebutchers
@swaledalebutchers
•
Follow
We are firmly of the belief that our pork is as good as it has ever been, the breeding, the rearing, the dry ageing and of course the butchery. All of it functioning in harmony to provide us with some high-grade pork. Loin chops seem to be having their moment in the sun, currently a firm favourite amongst our restaurant community, and rightly so. A classic; the leaner eye meat enveloped by a lovely cover of fat, cut thick and cooked well, they are so, so good. A little less well known, but no less delicious, and a cracking option for sharing, our shoulder chops are a slightly different beast. We split our shoulders in half and age the so-called Boston butt, when ready, the shoulder chops are cut from this section. The eye meat is made up of the collar or neck fillet and has excellent natural marbling. You then get a little of the blade and the muscles that surround it, this is darker, more richly flavoured meat. You still get the cover of fat, which, once rendered, tastes incredible. All in all, a fantastic sharing chop and a slight point of difference from the loin chops. Both supremely delicious!
1 month ago
977
View on Instagram |
5/8
@swaledalebutchers
@swaledalebutchers
•
Follow
The process of developing a dish with chefs is a rewarding one, made all the more so when we have the chance to eat the end product. As was the case here upon a recent (ish) visit to @rambutan_ldn Conversations around the best steak to use for this dish began months ago and we were able to offer our expert advice as Sofia and her team fine-tuned the balance of flavours, spices and textures. A few different cuts were trialled, and, in the end, it was our rump steaks which triumphed! Their flavour and fat able to be carried by that rich and deep curry sauce, with brighter notes and acidity being offered up by the parsley temper and little pearls of onion. It is truly a triumph. A marriage of Yorkshire beef and traditional Sri Lankan flavours and we couldn’t be prouder to see it on the menu and being enjoyed by their lucky guests!
1 month ago
775
View on Instagram |
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@swaledalebutchers
@swaledalebutchers
•
Follow
What salt should you use when cooking steaks and chops? Does it matter? Well, we have, in the past, taken some heat in the comments from people saying that we are using the wrong salt on our steaks. “You should be using fine salt!”, “flaky salt on steaks!! NO WAY!”, “It just falls off!”, to give you a few examples. So, to put the debate to bed we undertook an extremely controlled, scientific experiment to determine which salt is the best salt to use on your steaks. In a field, with a piece of goose skirt, a barbecue and two varieties of sea salt (that’s one important detail, to use sea salt, not table salt) and a desire to eat well seasoned steak. Poor us! Watch the video to find our conclusions, which will also feature in an academic journal soon – a seminal piece of scientific research. #sodiyum #flakysalt4life
1 month ago
13315
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A recent visit to see Ed Stavely’s pigs on the Swinton Estate, where a landscape not traditionally associated with pig keeping is slowly being reshaped through careful management and a willingness to do things a little differently. The pigs are largely native breeds, often crossed with Duroc to help them fare better through the long Yorkshire winters and the exposed conditions up on the estate. Hardy, slow-growing animals that seem to suit both the land and the philosophy behind the system. They are part of a wider effort to restore ground that had, in places, drifted too far from balance. Their rooting clears rougher areas, disturbs the soil naturally and creates opportunities for new herbal lays, healthier pasture and eventually species-rich hay meadows to return. There are certainly easier places to rear pigs, but it is difficult not to admire the determination to make this sort of farming work in a landscape like this, where the focus stretches beyond production alone and towards the long-term health of the land itself.
A recent visit to see Ed Stavely’s pigs on the Swinton Estate, where a landscape not traditionally associated with pig keeping is slowly being reshaped through careful management and a willingness to do things a little differently. The pigs are largely native breeds, often crossed with Duroc to help them fare better through the long Yorkshire winters and the exposed conditions up on the estate. Hardy, slow-growing animals that seem to suit both the land and the philosophy behind the system. They are part of a wider effort to restore ground that had, in places, drifted too far from balance. Their rooting clears rougher areas, disturbs the soil naturally and creates opportunities for new herbal lays, healthier pasture and eventually species-rich hay meadows to return. There are certainly easier places to rear pigs, but it is difficult not to admire the determination to make this sort of farming work in a landscape like this, where the focus stretches beyond production alone and towards the long-term health of the land itself.
A recent visit to see Ed Stavely’s pigs on the Swinton Estate, where a landscape not traditionally associated with pig keeping is slowly being reshaped through careful management and a willingness to do things a little differently. The pigs are largely native breeds, often crossed with Duroc to help them fare better through the long Yorkshire winters and the exposed conditions up on the estate. Hardy, slow-growing animals that seem to suit both the land and the philosophy behind the system. They are part of a wider effort to restore ground that had, in places, drifted too far from balance. Their rooting clears rougher areas, disturbs the soil naturally and creates opportunities for new herbal lays, healthier pasture and eventually species-rich hay meadows to return. There are certainly easier places to rear pigs, but it is difficult not to admire the determination to make this sort of farming work in a landscape like this, where the focus stretches beyond production alone and towards the long-term health of the land itself.
A recent visit to see Ed Stavely’s pigs on the Swinton Estate, where a landscape not traditionally associated with pig keeping is slowly being reshaped through careful management and a willingness to do things a little differently. The pigs are largely native breeds, often crossed with Duroc to help them fare better through the long Yorkshire winters and the exposed conditions up on the estate. Hardy, slow-growing animals that seem to suit both the land and the philosophy behind the system. They are part of a wider effort to restore ground that had, in places, drifted too far from balance. Their rooting clears rougher areas, disturbs the soil naturally and creates opportunities for new herbal lays, healthier pasture and eventually species-rich hay meadows to return. There are certainly easier places to rear pigs, but it is difficult not to admire the determination to make this sort of farming work in a landscape like this, where the focus stretches beyond production alone and towards the long-term health of the land itself.
@swaledalebutchers
@swaledalebutchers
•
Follow
A recent visit to see Ed Stavely’s pigs on the Swinton Estate, where a landscape not traditionally associated with pig keeping is slowly being reshaped through careful management and a willingness to do things a little differently. The pigs are largely native breeds, often crossed with Duroc to help them fare better through the long Yorkshire winters and the exposed conditions up on the estate. Hardy, slow-growing animals that seem to suit both the land and the philosophy behind the system. They are part of a wider effort to restore ground that had, in places, drifted too far from balance. Their rooting clears rougher areas, disturbs the soil naturally and creates opportunities for new herbal lays, healthier pasture and eventually species-rich hay meadows to return. There are certainly easier places to rear pigs, but it is difficult not to admire the determination to make this sort of farming work in a landscape like this, where the focus stretches beyond production alone and towards the long-term health of the land itself.
2 months ago
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