Читать книгу The Taste of Britain - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - Страница 84

Devonshire’s rural economy places emphasis on dairy products, apple orchards, and pig-rearing. The climate is damp and mild and, consequently, the local ham cure is brine-based. The hams now made in Devon are by a producer who uses English breeds of pig, and oversees the entire process from raising the animal to marketing. The animals are farmed extensively, on open pasture, finished with a mixed grain feed of barley and wheat, and slaughtered at 6-7 months. After cutting from the carcass, the hams are trimmed, then brined for 12 days in a 60 per cent brine. They are smoked, if required, in cold smoke from oak, plus a little beech. The hams are aged for 3-4 weeks. They may be dispatched raw, boiled plain, or cooked with cider and spices, a local method.