Pannage Season 2022

Pannage season started this year on the 19th September 2022 – and there is a bumper crop of acorns already falling, so the quality of the pork will be superb this year!!

Lady P the 6th and 14 of her piggies are now roaming throughout the woods, pastures and heathland of the forest, with other commoner’s pigs snuffling up the acorns and beech mast from the forest floor for the next 60 days, or longer, dependent of the season.

Our pigs are a Gloucester Old Spot cross, this traditional, rare breed pig have a thicker layer of fat which provides incredible flavour and succulence to the meat, resulting in a completely different taste to mass produced supermarket produced pork.

Pannage is the practice of turning out domestic pigs onto the forest in order to feed on fallen acorns, beech mast chestnuts and other nuts, which is unique to the New Forest. It is an historical right going back to William the Conqueror who granted this privileged common right to local people to use common land, since medieval times.   It is an important part of the forest ecology: Pigs can safely eat acorns as a large part of their diet, whereas excessive amounts are highly poisonous to the New Forest Ponies and Cattle that are also de-pastured onto the forest. The woodland ecosystem is also improved as pigs eat encroaching brush, such as bracken, whilst leaving saplings.  Effectively, they are mimicking the actions of the ancient wild boar.

Having been fattened on the nutty diet – the end result is a flavoursome pork from a pig that has been extensively farmed in the most beautiful setting of the New Forest.

We will be selling our Pannage Pork from Mid-November onwards subject to availability.