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The Berkshire Breed Cromwell's troops made reference to a locally bred pig renowned for its size, when quartered in Reading, this the earliest record of the Berkshire breed. Eventually the breed was influenced by the introduction of Chinese and Siamese blood, which resulted in the development of the Berkshire we know today; black in colour, pricked ears, white socks, tail tip and flash on face.
During the 19th century the breed became very popular, Queen Victoria kept a large herd at Windsor Castle. Following World War II the Berkshire suffered a serious decline in popularity, as did most traditional breeds. |  Today’s demand for traditional and local meat has renewed interest in the breed and Berkshire pork is also in demand overseas, especially in Japan. Japanese buyers still consider Berkshires from Britain to have the best taste and flavour.  All rare breed pigs are part of our cultural and agricultural heritage and should be supported. It is people with discerning taste that purchase and enjoy the pork that will ensure our rare breeds survive.
We have 4 breeding Berkshire sows, Lottie, Lilley, Lola and Layla. All of the ladies are very friendly and always comes running to be fed and an after dinner chat, they especially like their backs and behind their ears to be scratched.
 Our pigs are born out in the fields and live in family groups. In the fresh air they enjoy running, grazing and rooting in the earth. The pigs have a wallow in their pens and if it’s really hot will get a cooling shower. As well as their organic feed, they eat grass and dig around for roots. They love apples, fruits and overgrown vegetables from the kitchen garden. |  The piglets stay with their mother until they are about 10 weeks old when they are gradually weaned. The sow is removed and the piglets stay as a family group until they are ready for slaughter or join our growing breeding stock. We do not clip teeth or castrate; worming and vaccinations, if required, are usually all we need to do. We buy our Animal feed from Hi Peaks Ltd Hi Peak an independent family run company in Derbyshire, the feed is produced at their completely drug-free mill using ingredients bought with a Non Genetically Modified guarantee.
We take considerable care and attention of the pigs, we take our animals to a local family run slaughter house and use a local family butcher who hangs the meat, to give maximum flavour, then butchers and vacuum packs it to our requirements. Pork from rare breeds, especially Berkshires, is much tastier than the standard of pork offered in the supermarkets. The pork has a perfect covering of fat, which makes superb crackling and a succulence that is second to none. 
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