Suffolk Foodie Bit! Suffolk Hams!

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Suffolk Ham Masters.....?

Recently I started following a Facebook page called "Spanish Ham Master".  This is a specialist, trained in the art of carving Iberian Hams.  I was thinking, what have Spanish Hams got that we have to have a trained specialist in just one aspect of Pork serving? 

Looking a little further I noticed the name bellota.  Curious as to the meaning of bellota I did a Google which led me to the Wikipedia article on Jamon Iberico.  Bellota would appear to relate to Black Iberian pigs (or at least 75% cross bred) fed on acorns, bellota.  The process of free range production of the pig takes 48 months on  a strictly controlled diet of ultimately acorns or olives.  The use of the Oak forests (Cork Oak?) on the Spanish/Portuguese border produces the highest grade of this protected Spanish Denomination de origen  product.  A further curing of the ham for 36 months in a dry environement produces a 7 year production lifecycle of the product.  Having had a look at the website associated with the premium product Bellota Ham it retails at £340 per 8.5 kg (£40 per kilo) bone in ham.  Or putting it in time span mode £5.70 per kilo per year from the supplier.  A good figure to keep in mind when comparing different production styles and deciding whether a product is value for money!

So Suffolk Hams, how do they compare as specialist product? Well for a start the end product is a pickled smoked ham that is then cooked.  The process probably  reflects the differences in climate between Suffolk and the Iberian Oak forests.  The process is not geared to a hard and fast Denominacion de Origen regulation, since technically it is a cure so could be produced anywhere.  Ultimately the  pickling process may contain beer, stout or cider.  Recipes for Suffolk Black Hams also include molasses in the mix.  The time for production of the ham takes approximately 10 weeks.  The Rick Stein Food Heroes Supplier Emmetts of Peasenhall     has been offering Hams for sale since 1840.  Doing the production time span figure for the retailer again works out at approximately £27 per kilo assuming using pigs killed that year.  

Why is Suffolk Hams not as visible as Iberico Hams in the Supermarkets?  The Suffolk Ham is an artisan product.  Admittedly more expensive to the consumer, and not as labour intensive.  A real case for celebrating a premium product?  Definitely so!  Denominacien de Origen status, why not? 

I may have made a good case for why Spanish Acorn Ham appears to be good value for money.  However, it needs to be remembered that they are different products and have different seasonal time for eating.  Wouldn't it be great to have a Suffolk "tapas" of air cured Hams, pickled onions, line caught herring roll mops washed down with Suffolk Cider, Dutch Gin or hedgerow liquors!

PS Have a look at the Lifelong Learning Page http://kritirecharge2012lifelonglearning.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/online-learning-247-access.html   .   

The Sunday foodie Bit part 4

A Fishy on the Dishy (poor pun here)
A Mackerel is shown not a Herring, no red herrings
 intended

Started Sunday 6th February 2011  0953 GMT
Words 303

Bacon and Herring in Suffolk


Bacon and Herring were the two main protein sources  rural Suffolk used to rely on in it's daily diet.  The part of the world where I am from West Suffolk was the pig production and processing area (not quite so much as it used to be compared to even 15 years ago).  Lowestoft was one of the main East Coast centres of Herring  fishing.   A fish that provided the essential oils in the diet that now most people only experience in capsule form.

I have taken a picture of one of the plates of a non-matching set.  I bought these from the factory shop of the Jersey Pottery, they were delivered by their agents who turned out to be a major high street department store. Back then, eight or nine years ago, this was a major saving on the high street prices.  This was a spontaneous buy along with a set of soup/spaghetti bowls.  There were eight different designs showing various different types of popular seafood from around the shores of Jersey.  Herring sadly is not really commercially viable to fish as it was in the heyday of Lowestoft.  When my nephew came to Sunday Lunch he was just starting to read.  As the Roast beef was being put on his plate he noticed the picture and the script around the edge of the plate.  We then had an impromptu marine biology experience as all the plates had to then be read and commented upon.  My brother-in-law is an enthusiastic fisherman so suspect there were a few conversations going home in the car.  

In a previous blog   I detailed a Pork and Cabbage dish.  Later in the day or tomorrow a recipe for Herring and one for Mackerel will appear in the Blog for 2pointfiveageofman.net.

The Saturday Garden Shed

Started Saturday 5th February 2011  Started 0634 GMT
Words 409

Is it a shed?
This is obviously not a garden shed but an (
I'll let you think about this one.  The structure as it is not a dwelling was rambled past a few years ago.  This is the Moulton and Three churches walk (walk number 48).  The village of Moulton lies on what was the superhighway of it's day the packhorse track between Cambridge and Bury St.Edmunds and which ran south of Newmarket.  The next picture shows the packhorse bridge a triumph of medieval engineers and not a skate board ramp.  It certainly didn't wobble with the frequency of feet passing over it.

  So the shed,  this is Malt Kiln used to dry out the malt produced as the barley was malted.   This was an essential part of the local economy in the production of beer.  Beer was a relatively weak beast (< 2.5% abv) when used for everyday consumption  compared to today's brews.  The beer could also be guaranteed to be less likely to kill you than some of the drinking water of the day.

The presence of Malt kilns in the area were one of the reasons why the Abbey at Bury St Edmunds (once the resting place of England's original patron saint) was the premier medieval Abbey.  Prior to meeting at Runnymede to sign the Magna Carta, meetings were held at the Abbey.

Saturday's Gardening slot is going to be a little shorter than I intended on Monday (will have to upload missing posts over the weekend).   We have had Chinese  New  Year which is based on a Lunar Calendar (13 months).  This has been accompanied by some of the windiest weather around the world, not unrelated to the fact the moon is pretty near to the earth.

On the theme of calendars I have just received the growing year planner from the Growing Schools network.  a publication that may not be repeated as cuts bite so maybe a little fund raising for the appropriate charity that takes this in would be appropriate.

Today I have officially started trading in business.  This free blog will continue to be maintained each day.  More content will start to appear on the two blogs and sites where the information may be more economically expedient for me to place.

Tomorrow we will have a look at Roast Bacon and it's place in the Suffolk food economy.