David and Karen Richards have been curating their artisan charcuterie since 2009. They’ve won numerous awards during that time but the thrill of a commendation never loses it’s ‘buzz’ for an artisan producer so quite rightly they’re feeling ‘olympian’!
The aim of the annual Taste of the West awards is to champion and support the best food and drink producers in the West Country. All entries are of the highest standard.
More about this year’s double gold winners from Capreolus:
Special Edition Pannage Ham - a slowly matured, air dried ham using rare breed pigs from The New Forest.
This is a very special air-dried ham and during development stages it was the only acorn-fed air-dried ham made in this country. The pigs eat ‘free’ food; a diet of acorns and beech mast makes a real difference to the flavour of the pork. Capreolus produced very limited stock which flew off the shelves but the good news is that they are already working on the hams from the 2020 Pannage Season for release early 2022.
Make a note on your calendar - you don’t want to miss out!
Venison & Green Peppercorn Salami using local wild venison (from Sika Deer living on the Isle of Purbeck) and free-range pork, then flavoured with black pepper, garlic, and Porcini mushroom. Running through the salami are whole green peppercorns. This salami has a rich flavour from the venison and an earthiness from the Porcini mushroom; the green peppercorns give bursts of resinous, prickly heat when you bite into them.
Available to purchase from the Capreolus website at the end of August.
David, the Capreolus Master Epicurean, says:
“It’s been a challenging year in the food industry, especially considering that when the first lockdown hit our business relied on restaurants. We are thrilled to have been awarded 2 Golds in this year's Taste of the West Cured Meats Category for our Venison & Green Peppercorn Salami and our Pannage Ham! I love developing new products and working with something as special as Pannage Pork and venison from wild Sika deer is a real privilege.
Thanks also to our hugely committed team who make everything possible, our suppliers who give us the best of the best and our customers who support us.”