Lost-flavour pork returns

A LOCAL man's passion for pigs is helping Alderney reduce its rubbish bill and allowing local shops to stock locally-reared, free-range pork.

For years, Alan Woodnutt had hoped to own the animals and after attending a course with his wife, Tess, he decided the time was right to bring some to Alderney.

'I had always wanted to keep pigs, but I only planned on having a couple in the back garden as a hobby,' said Alan, who also runs electrical store London House.

'But after the pig-keeping course, Tess and I became completely addicted. We quickly organised land and fencing, found a breed and bought four.'

Alan discovered the Oxford Sandy and Black breed, which almost died out in the 1980s.

'After the Second World War, the British government decided that farmers needed to breed pigs which fattened quickly, but this breed is slow-growing and traditional, so it lost favour,' he said. 'There were only about 70 left 30 years ago, but they're back up to 700 now.'

The pigs were shipped to the island in May 2009 and, after buying a male, Alan set about building up his stock.

'To have a boar, you need six females as a minimum and that means 12 litters a year. We'll probably see 100 pigs born every year from now on.'

Demand for Alderney pork has risen over the past 20 months – to the point that local supermarket Le Cocq's is now stocking the meat, following rave reviews from local chef Scott Chance of the Braye Beach Hotel.

'I think it's great – if people don't eat them, the breed is going to die out,' said Alan. 'These pigs have a great life; they're free-range and I don't mind people eating them at all.'

And Alan, who feeds the pigs twice a day, has no doubts over the taste of Alderney Free Range Pork.

'I'm biased, but a lot of people are coming back for repeat orders. It has a bit of fat on it and tastes like pork used to taste. These pigs are running around and playing, so the meat's a bit firmer. We think it tastes better than factory meat – and these pigs also produce great crackling.'

Alan's Giffoine pens are currently home to more than 60 pigs and are proving a hit with locals and tourists.

'Many people come up every day to watch them,' he said. 'We also get visitors coming up to take photos. We had a litter born last March and when we came up to feed them, we counted at least 100 people who had come to take a look – word had obviously got round.'

The breeders who sold the original four pigs to Alan are delighted that his Alderney farm is proving so popular.

'They came over from the UK last week and they were very pleased. These pigs need to reach a certain standard to be classed as pedigree and the breeders said every pig is up to the breed standard.'

The pigs are also helping Alderney reduce the amount of waste it sends to Mont Cuet in Guernsey, as Alan explained.

'We collect all the fruit and vegetables left over from Le Cocq's and feed them to the pigs. It probably works out at about 15 tonnes a year – and that's waste that would otherwise be shipped for landfill. Over the course of a year, it saves the States a lot of money – the pigs are good for recycling.'

Alderney Free Range Pork is now being sold in island supermarket Le Cocq's.