We interviewed Jonathan & Charlotte Clarkson the founders of Three Little Pigs who make their own chorizo and salami from their herd of free range, rare breed pigs, raised on their family farm near Beverley in Yorkshire.
Tell us how your company began?
‘Three Little Pigs was born shortly after we received a rare breed Berkshire sow for a wedding present. We bred from her and the business has gradually evolved from selling on the farmers’ markets to producing the air-dried range that we have now.’
Why is your product different to others on the market?
‘The ingredients we combine with our pork are the best we can get. For example, in our chorizo we use La Vera smoked Pimenton. We’re very proud that each of the six products in our range has won a Great Taste Award.’
Tell us something we might not know about your product?
‘It takes 12 months in total to produce our chorizo and salami, that’s 11 months, 3 weeks to breed and feed our traditional, slow growing, rare breed pigs and a further 5 weeks to make the product. The chorizo and salami are carefully dried, checked daily and adjustments made to ensure it dries to perfection. After one final inspection, the chorizo and salami are packed, labelled by hand and ready to send out.’
What is your favourite product from the range?
‘We love our spicy chorizo. It’s fantastic to see the reaction on people faces when they try it for the first time. We were delighted when it won 2 stars at the Great Taste Awards the first time we entered it. It’s great news that our award-winning chorizo is finding its way to more and more customers nationwide in SNAP!’s Yorkshire recipe box. We love the idea of our chorizo arriving together with so many other quality Yorkshire produced ingredients for customers to cook up delicious, tasty meals.’
Tell us the best bits and the worst bits of your job?
‘We love what we do. Particularly, that we can produce a really special product that people enjoy so much whilst holding true to our ethics; producing free range pigs that clearly enjoy life, rooting around outside and enjoying the sun on their backs. The worst bit has to be the winter weather. The pigs don’t seem to mind, but it’s a challenge for us humans!’
Where to buy: You can order your own chorizo and salami direct from Three Little Pigs via their website. You’ll also find their products in farm shops and delis around the country including The Courtyard Dairy, Settle. London stockists include Selfridges, Partridges, Wholefoods Market and Sourced Market or buy online via Caprera Foods.
