Food provenance
Here at Piglets we endeavour to use local farm produce wherever possible to support our rural community and to give our guests the best possible fresh produce. However, if there are exceptional items we may travel far and wide to bring you the very best artisan food available.
Many of our food items have also won medals in the Great Taste Awards for the best foods in Britain.
BACON & HAM: Applewood smoked streaky & middle cut back bacon from Norfolk via our local Saffron Walden butcher Burton & Son., established in 1953 and in its 3rd generation.
HAM: Honey roast ham from Prior’s Hall Farm, Lindsell just under 9 miles from us, 4th generation farmers since 1942.
SAUSAGES: Traditional award-winning “Goddard’s” pork sausages from Great Garnetts Farm, Barnston have been farming pigs since 1970. Max grew up on what is locally known as Goddard’s sausages which have a unique texture and flavour and were originally made by Goddard’s butchers in Saffron Walden – when they retired the secret recipe was handed down through a series of butchers to today where the Smith family at Great Garnetts make them for Burton’s above. Gluten-free: Prior’s Hall Farm, Lindsell.
A light-hearted video by Max about how to make savings in time, cost and flavour as opposed to the lengths Piglets goes to, to create their full English…
BACON & HAM: Applewood smoked streaky & middle cut back bacon from Norfolk via our local Saffron Walden butcher Burton & Son., established in 1953 and in its 3rd generation.
HAM: Honey roast ham from Prior’s Hall Farm, Lindsell just under 9 miles from us, 4th generation farmers since 1942.
SAUSAGES: Traditional award-winning “Goddard’s” pork sausages from Great Garnetts Farm, Barnston have been farming pigs since 1970. Max grew up on what is locally known as Goddard’s sausages which have a unique texture and flavour and were originally made by Goddard’s butchers in Saffron Walden – when they retired the secret recipe was handed down through a series of butchers to today where the Smith family at Great Garnetts make them for Burton’s above. Gluten-free: Prior’s Hall Farm, Lindsell.
BLACK PUDDING: The only Black Pudding maker who uses fresh blood The Fruit Pig Company, Cambridgeshire. This makes for a really moist and flavoursome pudding with hardened aficionados declaring it is the best they have ever had. Top chef Tom Aikens agrees.
CHARCUTERIE & TERRINES: Multi award-winning Sunday Charcuterie from Suffolk practices whole pig butchery from small holding farms (no more than 10 sows per farm) with seven out of the eleven rare pig breeds being protected by the Rare Breed Survival Trust as well as rare Mangalitza pigs ensuring these old breeds continue to flourish today.
EGGS: We have a lovely collection of free-range happy hens which include Black Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Miss Pepperpot, Marans-Grey Speckle and Rhode Rangers. You can say ‘hello’ to them by walking past our vegetable patches.
BREADS: Traditional baking techniques starting with 48 hours of fermentation for their sourdough bread are undertaken by our family bakers; BrownBread, from their premises in Ingatestone, Essex which is sold in over 70 country markets including twice a week in Saffron Walden on a Tuesday and Saturday.
PATISSERIE & DINNER ROLLS: From Bridor in Brittany, France. If their products are good enough for the three Michelin starred, Le Gavroche – we guess they are probably up to the standards expected by Piglets’ guests!
VEGETABLES: Piglets tries to be as self-sufficient as possible with Chrissie working hard in her vegetable garden, greenhouse and fruit cage to supply the B&B with as much fresh and chemical-free vegetables as possible. When extra supplies are required visits to our local markets are a great source of like-minded artisan producers and for more exotic items, our wholesalers Fisher & Woods in Saffron Walden provide produce for distinguished local eateries including Daniel Clifford’s 2 Michelin-starred Midsummer House in Cambridge.
SMOKED SALMON: Fished from Loch Duart in Scotland and smoked in Grimsby by Alfred Enderby since 1918. We slice our Salmon across the bias to give a “whole fish” experience. “Simply the best smoke house in the UK” says Marco Pierre White.
ARBROATH SMOKIES: Spink’s is one of Rick Stein’s food heroes and is one of Britain’s Top 50 British foods. ‘Smokies’ are haddock and not a herring (i.e. a kipper) so the delightful flavour of oak smoking from old whisky barrels will not stay with you all day and neither will you be picking numerous bones out throughout your breakfast – give them a try, they are delightful especially with a Piglets’ egg and some Norfolk applewood smoked streaky bacon.
MARMALADE: Chrissie’s family recipe has finally been recognised as how good we all knew it was – entering her first competition this year, she was stunned to win a bronze medal in the World Marmalade Championships! Not only do we love it on toast but also it is a great accompaniment to hard cheeses – you can buy a jar to take home from our Piglets Pantry.
BUTTER: For over half a century the folk at Longley Farm in Yorkshire has been producing great products from one of the leading Jersey cow herds in Europe – we are proud to offer this rich natural butter for your toast and break at Piglets.
HONEY: From just down the road at Parsonage Farm, our set and runny Essex honey, made from busy Wimbish bees is yummy!
JAMS & CHUTNEYS: Chrissie is at it again, foraging in the hedgerows to bring you seasonal jams and chutneys – when she has run out, Janet, our former Church Warden will provide her wares.
RELISHES: Chrissie’s chilli jam is great with everything be it eggs in the morning or cheese in the evening. The greenhouse bursts with all manner of chillies so watch out for the odd habanero hot jar!
SAUCES: From the Old Stables at Rendlesham Hall in our neighbouring county of Suffolk, Stokes has been making award-winning sauces since 2004. For ‘naughty’ Piglets, why not try their Bloody Mary ketchup at breakfast?
TEAS: Birchalls has been producing fine teas from their plantations in Africa since 1872. Now with over 10 years of Great Taste awards for their teas, their blends from plantations in Kenya, South Africa and Rwanda are classics while gourmet teas from the Himalayas and China make for a unique and wonderful collection we are proud to serve at breakfast and offer in our bedrooms.
COFFEE: Italian coffee at it best from Lavazza, Turin since 1895 – served at breakfast and available in your bedroom.
SALT: Even our salt is local from the salt flats at Maldon, Essex, since 1882.
PIZZAS & PASTA: Founded by Felice Evola in 1999 Divine Importers bring the best of Italian produce to Piglets. Be it 3 times winners of the Napoli World Pizza Championships pizza bases to award-winning charcuterie, cheese and pasta.
OLIVES & TAPENADE: From the Real Olive Company in Bristol who have been sourcing olives since 1998 and supports sustainable foods and uses traditional time-honoured recipes for their blends and antipasti.
CHEESE: Although great world cheese lovers, we are Piglets believe British cheeses have something to shout about – from the ‘King of Cheese’ Stilton to gooey Tunworth, Cambridge Bleat or Baron Bigod to name a few, our local cheesemongers keep our taste buds alive for more unique cheeses from our artisan producers from this Great Sceptred Isle.
GIN: Our Nosy Parker London Dry gin was created by Max at the Cambridge Gin Lab before being distilled at local artisan liquor company, Charles & Mike near Great Dunmow.
LIMONCELLO and GINELLO: Max creates this wonderful desert wine in-house at Piglets using only three ingredients: sugar, lemons and alcohol (Vodka or Gin) – no preservatives, no colourings or other nasty things used in Italian commercial production – this produces a fresh and less sugary taste.
Best B&B and Guest House of the year
