IN just six months the Crediton Pig Club has got off to a successful start with local families and smallholders collaborating to bring pork from pig pen to plate.

Earlier in 2016, a group of interested individuals met together with Sustainable Crediton and worked out arrangements to purchase feed and other supplies to provide half and quarter pig shares for more than a dozen families.

Now six weaners of a very special traditional breed, the Oxford Sandy and Black, have arrived and are being cared for by several smallholders in the Shobrooke area.

These weaners will reach market size during the early autumn.

The Pig Club is delighted that it will have the help of Cox Butchers in Crediton to prepare the pig shares.

The pork produced will include chops, joints, mince, sausages and more than enough for the freezer.

The main aims of the Pig Club are to encourage local production and good care of traditional breeds.

The members are also keen to ensure that the scheme promotes interest in pork in order to increase demand for pork from local suppliers.

One way to do this is to encourage people to make their own hams and salami, and a meeting is being organised in September to talk about charcuterie methods of curing and smoking pork.

Meanwhile the pig sharers have been visiting to get to know these delightful weaners.

Although food from the kitchen is not allowed for the pigs, they will be getting surplus fruit and vegetables from their allotments and gardens.

Another welcome development for the group is that Morrisons supermarket in Crediton has kindly agreed to pass on waste fruit and vegetables which are past their use-by dates.

Now the Pig Club is starting to look at ways to expand the scheme in 2017 and it is keen to hear from anyone who would like to get involved.

For more information about joining the Pig Club, please contact Anne Stobart on 01363 777531.

Alan Quick