Where do you get your pigs, chickens, etc.

North Wales really is a great place for quality produce so it is no surprise that we should choose our pigs and chickens from this area. The whole area is blessed with the sort of perfect farming environment that makes choosing great produce so simple, and that is something that we take very seriously here at Spitting Pig. Quality is everything. Over the last ten or twenty years there has been a very big emphasis place on sourcing ingredients from quality suppliers and the thinking behind this has often been the subject of fierce debate. Many people who are more concerned with money than with taste have said that this responsible approach is a waste of time and that it achieves nothing but we certainly do not subscribe to that line of thinking, absolutely not. We believe that sourcing the very best meat for each of our hog roasts or indeed any other meat that we use is crucially important for a number of reasons.

Quality meat has a taste that is second to none. It is like the difference in a fine wine compared to a bottle bought for a fiver at the corner shop. Yes, both the standard meat and the cheap wine may taste fine but when you take the step up and sample the quality meat and the fine wine, you just know that quality really does make a difference. It is almost a difference that you can see whilst the animal is alive because the care that an animal receives on the farm is so important. The freedom to exercise and live a true life rather than one of confinement makes for a healthier and happier animal, and this translates into quality meat. You really can appreciate the quality when you taste the meat. Choosing a pig for a hog roast is not quite the easy task that you may think it is for the hog roast caterer. A lot has to be taken into consideration before the right pig is chosen. For a start, you need to consider the size of the party that you are catering for. A smaller party will not need a huge pig, but a standard size pig will probably be more than adequate. You can actually feed over a hundred people from a standard sized pig!

Then of course there is the fat. Yes, the fat! It plays an important part in the cooking you know and helps keep the meat succulent and juicy during the slow cooking time. It also helps contribute to delivering that all important crackling that everybody looks forward to eating so much. And of course one of the most important factors is not just delivering great taste but supporting local producers of great meat. We always source our meat locally wherever possible and because North Wales has an abundance of top suppliers, this is certainly not a problem! By continuing to support them, we believe we can look forward to many home grown hog roasts for generations to come and that can only be good for everyone concerned.