Graham and Ruth’s adventure as charcutiers started in 2003, when they decided to start keeping a couple of pigs on a piece of rough ground near their home. They made sausages and bacon to sell to neighbours and friends – a hobby that soon became a passion. Graham spent time developing his craft with traditional experts in Sardinia, Spain and Germany, then set up his own professional charcuterie with Ruth in 2010.
Fowlescombe Farm is run by Alex and Andrew Owens. They took over the land in 2019, determined to farm organically – encouraging nature and wildlife, as well as guaranteeing the very best standard of animal welfare. Their specialism is native heritage breeds; Fowlescombe is now home to a herd of 100 English Longhorn cattle (the oldest English beef breed), as well as a small number of Mangalitsa and Tamworth pigs.
These beautiful cows are 100% grass fed, roaming in multi-generational groups with access to streams, reed banks and trees, and eating a varied diet of different pastures and mineral-rich herbal leys. The pigs live in small groups, and are free 24/7 to root and forage in the undergrowth of the farm’s woodlands.
Heritage breeds grow slowly and naturally; combined with this rich, healthy diet, this gives Rare & Pasture’s meat a fantastic depth of flavour. And they believe in a nose-to-tail approach, so that nothing goes to waste.
