Charlotte Hill – Artisan Charcuterie
It’s tough this job. Charlotte believes the proof of the cured meats is in the eating and I am very happy to taste test.
Born and bred in Cheltenham, she was enticed five years ago to Devon by her partner, Toph, a diver for the Royal Navy based in Devonport. Having always enjoyed cooking and perhaps aspiring to be a chef, she took a six month cookery course with the prestigious Ashburton Cookery School which taught her two things: she still loved cooking, but did not want to be a chef.
She has been a fan of charcuterie – cured meats for as long as she can remember. “I have always really loved it, in fact I am obsessed”. Her father lives in France where great charcuterie is commonplace and seeing a small gap in the Devon market Charlotte decided to give it a try. She made her first chorizo last year and by her own admission it was awful, but persistence paid off and with a few tweaks to the recipe and the construction of professional curing cabinets and oak smoker she began to create cured meats of which she should be proud.
Charlotte now produces over 7 types of salami, 2 lonzino (cured pork loin), 2 bresaola (cured beef), 3 coppa (shoulder of pork), pancetta and a duck prosciutto. She hopes to introduce a venison range and is always experimenting with new flavours and methods. She originally researched recipes from French and Italian cookery books and other charcuterie products but is now trialling her own with ingredients such as sherry, fennel, chilli and cloves.
Charcuterie is a long process involving trimming and shaping the meat, curing for two weeks in salts and spices, some times cold smoking, and then hanging for approximately a month in controlled conditions. Currently working from her home kitchen it is taking up a lot of time and space. Charlotte has a high demand for her artisan products and is concentrating on her local customers but would love to expand both her range and her clients, but does not want to compromise quality over quantity.
As evidenced by the half empty platter in front of us, I can heartily recommend Charlotte’s wares. You can taste her charcuterie for yourself at Tavistock Farmers Market under her trading name of “The Insalting Pig” as well as other local markets and festivals. She also supplies her local pub, The Who’d Have Thought, as well as Bidders butchers who source and supply all of the local meats she uses.
The Insalting Pig – Artisan Charcuterie Made In Devon
@theinsaltingpig