[mowhaugh]

Just collected our first pig from the butchers, there is pork EVERYWHERE! It does all look yummy, and I am very pleased now that I bought an extra freezer yesterday.

This one will have cost quite a bit (although till cheaper than buying all the meat!) as we bought a cross bred gilt rather than a weaner, we needed company for Doreen, and hadn't expected Delilah to come along so quickly, but the whole thing has been a great learning curve for when Doreen has her piglets.

[Fowlman]

Enjoy the meat 

[hughesy]

Hehe it is a bit of a shock the first time you see a whole pig's worth of pork on your kitchen table. Enjoy it.

[benandjerry]

Yum, yum.. do you sell it, as I am in the Scottish borders? 

[HappyHippy]

It always amazes me that the meat that comes back somehow seems bigger than the pig was ! 
Enjoy your pork 

[milly molly]

enjoy u going to make sausages and some bacon? makes a bit of a change from roast pork though may be a while before u want a change as its so yummy
mandy

[mowhaugh]

Yum, yum.. do you sell it, as I am in the Scottish borders? 

Not this time, as this one was a learning curve, and as she was company for Doreen and Deliah during visits to boar etc., she was bigger and fatter than she should have been, but we hope to have pork to sell by the Autumn.  Where abouts in the Borders are you?  We are near Yetholm, about 25 minutes from Kelso.

[mowhaugh]

enjoy u going to make sausages and some bacon? makes a bit of a change from roast pork though may be a while before u want a change as its so yummy
mandy

Yes, we've got loads of Lorne - type sausage - OH and one of my sons have a thing about sausage skins, so it seemed easier to do that than have to watch them pick their sausages apart, and the bacon is underway (our village butcher is dealing with that this time, I couldn't cope with too much new learning all at once!)

[Daisys Mum]

When are  your girls due to farrow?

[mowhaugh]

It's just Doreen this time, not sure whether to wait until she has her piglets before sending Delilah to the boar as I don't want to stress Doreen - she is due on 23rd May, hoping the imminent lambing will distract me because I am nearly bursting with excitement and it is still quite a long time!

[Tiva Diva]

Which abattoir and which butcher did you use? We're between Gala and Peebles, and I'm getting pretty fed up with Shotts Abattoir!
Love the names!

[mowhaugh]

We used Wishaw, just a bit further than Shotts, but they were very good, and despite her being huge, they didn't skin her, although they warned they might have to.  The system was all a bit vague, the guy who booked her in when we arrived didn't seem to be expecting her, but he was very helpful, and showed me the pens where the other pigs were waiting and so on, it was all very calm.  She was booked in through Valley Meats in Yetholm, our nearest village, and delivered back there with their pigs.  Eck at Valley Meats was great, when she came back he showed me the carcass and compare her to the others in his chill room, and taled me through the options and what he would recommend and why.