A Welsh pork producer which specialises in cured meats has won a top award at the Food and Farming Awards ceremony hosted in the House of Commons.
Cwm Farm Charcuterie, based near Pontardawe in the Swansea Valley, is celebrating after gaining recognition from the top food industry awards for its cured meats.
At the awards ceremony, Cwm Farm’s Ruth and Andrew Davies were presented with a Highly Commended award in the Food Chain and Marketing section of the Food & Farming Industry Awards – prizes which recognise excellence, foster innovation and celebrate of all that is great about British agriculture.
For Cwm Farm Charcuterie, the award is another feather in the cap of a relatively new business which combines traditional husbandry and overseas inspiration.
“We bought Cwm Farm at Rhydyfro near Pontardawe in 2010 with the intention of producing our own pork and sausages,” said Ruth Davies.
“However so positive was the feedback from friends and family, we decided to expand our production and sell the meat from our growing herd of Saddleback and Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs.”
The desire to grow the enterprise led Ruth to travel to Denmark to learn more about making salami and cured meats.
“Following 18 months of technical advice, butchery training and product development three varieties of salami were created – with laverbread, traditional paprika, and Moroccan spice,” added Ruth.
They built their own charcuterie facility equipped with Drying Chambers, and this has enabled them to take Cwm Farm to the next level.
HCC (Meat Promotion Wales) Market Development Officer Kirstie Jones said the award shows that the pork industry in Wales competes with anyone in the world on quality and product innovation.
