Saddleback

The Saddleback Breed

The British Saddleback is a striking animal being black with a white unbroken band over the shoulders and down to both front feet. They may also have white hind feet, a white tail tip and white on the snout but this is not necessary. They have lop ears over their heads. Belted pigs of this type occur around the world and it is a standard colour pattern that occurs in certain genotypes of the domesticated pig. Just because this pattern occurs in different breeds in different countries, does not mean that they are necessarily related. The body is both deep and long reflecting its advantages both as an excellent breeding animal and as a producer of high quality meat.

 There is a huge interest in the special qualities of the pork and bacon from rare and traditional breeds and it is no gimmick. Commercial pork is ultra-lean, often wet, with the fat and lean separating. Consequently, the eating quality is minimal. British Saddleback meat is robustly excellent by contrast, succulent, flavoursome and with crackling to die for. It carries some extra fat but that is necessary to baste the meat while it cooks to give flavour and succulence.

Further, recent developments in scientific study show that more naturally produced pork can carry health-benefiting Omega-3 fatty acids in the fat so that it is not necessarily the bad thing that some people have claimed. Finally, the fact that the Saddleback is mostly black does not mean that you will have black crackling or bacon rind. Like every other pig, the skin on the Saddleback is the same after slaughter and the removal of the bristles. It is bigotry in the mainstream meat industry that believes otherwise. You may find some black stubble where the bristles have not been fully removed but this should be seen as a sign of quality.