Mr Davidson, known as 'Mossie' of Moss-side Farm, Oldmeldrum near Inverurie, met the Chef when arranging the catering for his daughter Joanna's wedding. Ian, famous throughout the region for his BBQs of spit roast pork, startled Hotel Owner Stewart Spence with his proposition to host the wedding at the hotel, providing it allowed him to supply and cook the pork.

Rather than a whole pig roast, Mr Davidson helped to barbecue pork loin roasts, and the taste impressed everyone.

Pig producer Ian Davidson and Chef Mike Stoddart at the Marcliffe Hotel. The tenderness of Mossie's Pork's makes it a menu success.

"Mr Davidson's pork was so tasty, and had a unique flavour that impressed all the chefs. We're always keen to put fresh, local produce on the menu at the Marcliffe and this was something that we just had to give our visitors the opportunity to try", said Chef Stoddart.

Size Matters

The success of 'Mossie's pork' is, according to Mr Davidson, largely due to the size of the pigs. Rather than the more usual 82kgs dead weight carcase, as required for standard contracts, He takes pigs to 110kgs and above.

"It gives the meat time to mature and develop a fuller flavour. I use JSR Genepacker Gold sows with a Titan boar, so I get the succulence and flavour together with lots of lean meat in the best cuts," he explains.

After slaughter at a local abattoir, special care is taken throughout the maturation and butchery process. Ian's nephew, John Davidson, runs an independent butcher's shop in Inverurie. He is a member of the Scottish Craft Butchers Association, and a recent finalist in the 'Champion of Champions' contest to find the UK's best sausage.

John says the pork has to be handled very carefully, And to get the best results, thorough maturation is absolutely essential.

"We hang our pork for up to 14 days before cutting, and then the same again after; some butchers might be surprised by this, but we've found the optimum chiller temperature - by trial and error - and take care to keep it constant at all times," says John.

Tender valued

Following the success of Mossies, his business now supplies the Marcliffe Hotel with all of its pork. From air dried bacon and sausage to gigots of pork and along with its local customers, the reaction of the guests is always positive - they're amazed by the taste and tenderness, says John.

Carlos Peralta, commercial director at JSR is delighted to hear of Ian's success, but not that surprised.

"British pork is fantastically versatile and when handled like this and presented in such lovely surroundings gives an eating experience second to none," he adds, proudly.

Although pig producers are under immense pressure, there are opportunities to work closely with other elements of the food chain and gain success. JSRfirmlyybelievess that by working together the UK pig industry can deliver more success stories and continue to open customers eyes to the fabulous taste of British pork.