Baltimore’s Saddleback Pig Company

Baltimore’s Saddleback Pig Company

Got a pleasant surprise on a recent trip to the Bandon Farmers Market when I came across the Saddleback Pig Company from Baltimore. Stopped to have a look at the joints, the rashers and the sausages and soon had a hot piece of sausage in my hand as a sample. Gorgeous stuff, full of great flavours and a lovely supple texture, real meat.

Got a pack of the sausages, a new mix: gluten free sausages 100% pork,  cracked black pepper, cumin, oregano, sweet smoked paprika and garlic.  Very tasty indeed and they sold out last Saturday! So get to Bandon early this Saturday or maybe Clon on the Friday.

Had a chat with Nathan Hall who is very proud of his small family run farm at Rath Hill on Baltimore: “We are a small family run farm situated specialising in the breeding and rearing of rare breed Saddleback pigs. Though only a small business we concentrate on the welfare of all our pigs which are reared and run outside where they are free to root and forage. Our pigs are raised on a diet of mainly vegetables and rolled barley which are chemical free and do not contain any growth enhancers allowing the pigs to mature over a longer period of time giving the meat a fuller flavour.”

Their Dry cured bacon is naturally smoked or unsmoked in a cure made up of sea salt, raw cane sugar and a mixture of herbs and spices. Hams are produced in a brine of white wine, rosemary, bay, thyme, pepper and juniper. All cuts of pork are available fresh or frozen. And they certainly looked great on the stall in Bandon.

You can find them at Clonakilty Farmers Market every Friday and in Bandon Farmers Market every Saturday. Find out much more about them on their Facebook page.


Location: Rath Hill, Baltimore Co. Cork.
Phone 086 2633219.
Email saddlebackpigcompany@gmail.com

Outdoor Bliss at The Glebe Gardens Cafe

The Glebe Gardens Cafe

Entrance

 Great to eat outdoors under the sun and even better to eat something special. I enjoyed just such an occasion last week in the Cafe at The Glebe Gardens in Baltimore, a terrific location with innovative cooking and very friendly staff.

They do have an indoors but we ate in a courtyard type setting, out there with the birds and the bees, the sun shining and the specials on the board. CL picked the special soup: Courgette, Pea and Mint (€6.00). The balance of the ingredients was finely judged and, along with some gorgeous bread, with seeds inside and out, it was a terrific start.

I was just as happy with mine, The 3 Fish Chowder (€8.00), a regular item on the menu. It was described as a large bowl of chowder. It sure was large and it was also top notch. Also got the seeded bread with that.

We both agreed on the main course: Goats Cheese, Quinoa and Herb fritters, served with a garden salad (the garden is behind the wall), and Glebe tomato and chilli jam (€9.50). Again, a terrific combination of ingredients with the spicy and herby bits enhancing, rather than overpowering, the main ingredients. Really top class and at a decent price.

We should have been satisfied at that point but with class cooking so far, there was no way we were going to skip dessert, especially since we had been tempted all along by that big blackboard on the opposite wall.

I picked the lovely Peach and Almond Tart, excellent and well balanced. But the best looking dessert was at the other side where CL was tucking into the Lemon Curd Meringue Cake, easy on the eye and so sweet to eat. “The best dessert I’ve ever had,” she declared. Begged a few spoonfuls and agreed it was something else. A pretty photograph for sure and a delightful dessert for certain. Each dessert cost a fiver.

We were in the area for the fabulous Taste of West Cork festival and the Glebe told us they were also taking part. A treat indeed for those lucky punters who booked their “From Plot to Plate Evening”. Watch out for that event next year but you’ll be welcome at The Glebe anytime. Not quite anytime – make sure to check the site  for opening times. Oh, one more thing: they don't accept credit cards. Highly recommended.