FOOD FILE:Some people keep them as pets – George Clooney is famously attached to his – and some people see them as walking breakfast rolls. However you feel about pigs, and even vegetarians can be tempted by frying bacon, there will be plenty of good eating and lots of fun shared at the "Pig in a Day" butchering and chatcuterie course being organised by Ted Berner of Wildside Catering, which specialises in cooking over fire, including whole pigs, and butcher and chef Philip Dennhardt (above).
The full-day course covers rearing your own free-range pig, including information on housing, fencing, feeding and killing, as well as curing hams, making sausages, salami and chorizo. Every part of the pig is put to good use, and you can pick up some cooking tips from Berner as he puts together a lavish lunch of local produce, cooked over fire.
Not all of us have the space to rear our own Babe, but Berner says it is possible to buy a whole, free-range organic pig, ready to butcher. Once you’ve done the course, you’ll be able to have a go at doing the butchering and processing yourself, as long as it is for private use, and Berner has a network of artisan producers who supply pigs. “We deal only with organic and free-range, and don’t encourage you to buy a commercially raised pig,” Berner says. Expect to pay €3.50 to €5.50 a kilo, he says, which would bring the cost of the pig to around €200 – perfect for sharing with a like-minded friend.
The next course takes place at the Garden Café at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Shanagarry, Cork, on Friday, April 17th (9am-5pm; €140, including lunch). Book on 086-8681863 or see www.wildsidecatering.ie.
If this course sounds a bit hardcore, around the same time, renowned gardener, broadcaster, writer and teacher Sarah Raven will be doing two full-day demos at Ballymaloe. “The Cutting Garden” is on April 16th, and “Year-Round Vegetables” is on April 17th, the same day as the pig course. Book on 021-4646785, or see www.cookingisfun.ie mcdigby@irishtimes.com