Traditional Bacon & Dry-Cured Meats - Heritage Breed Pork

Traditional Bacon & Dry-Cured Meats - Heritage Breed Pork

At Swaledale, we make heritage breed bacon using traditional dry-curing methods practised in Britain for centuries. Originally developed as a means of preserving pork, dry-curing also concentrates flavour and brings out the very best in well-reared, properly matured meat.

We use only outdoor-reared pigs from heritage breeds, including Tamworth and Middle White. The same whole-muscle cuts we supply fresh to our restaurant chefs are selected for curing, so the quality of the pork comes first.

Our pigs are reared outdoors, where they can root, wallow and express their natural behaviours. Given time to mature at their own pace, they develop beautifully marbled meat and a generous covering of rich, flavourful fat. It is exactly the sort of pork needed to make exceptional bacon and other traditional dry-cured meats.

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Traditional British Curing, Done Properly

The demands of mass retail have changed the way much of Britain’s bacon and cured meat is produced. Bellies, hocks and hams were traditionally prepared with skill and patience, then dry-cured or cold-smoked over natural wood. Today, these slower methods are often replaced by brine injection, artificial smoke flavourings and vacuum tumbling, prioritising speed and consistency over flavour, texture and character.

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At Swaledale Butchers, we take a different approach. We start with carefully selected British pork and use traditional curing methods that respect both the quality of the meat and the skill of the curer.

The process is deliberately unhurried. Salt, time and, where appropriate, natural wood smoke are allowed to work gradually, developing cured meats with deep flavour, firm texture and genuine character.

Whether it’s cold-smoked bacon, dry-cured pork belly or traditionally cured hams, every product reflects our commitment to preserving Britain’s curing traditions. Made from carefully selected pork and prepared with patience, our cured meats have the depth of flavour, texture and character that only traditional methods can produce.

Buy bacon online from Swaledale Butchers, made from high-welfare British pork and prepared using traditional methods. Our range of sustainably sourced bacon and cured meats is expertly butchered and full of character. Everything is Always Fresh, Never Frozen®, butchered to order and delivered in recyclable packaging.

Benefits of Swaledale Butchers