The Fabulous Butcher Boys

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Christine McFadden meets the brains and brawn behind the Dorset Charcuterie Company. Photography by Scott Morrison

Move over continental charcuterie – the Brits are coming. More specifically, the Dorset Charcuterie Company is emerging as a top-notch cured meat producer, creating award-winning products on a par with the best of their continental counterparts.
Housed at The Purbeck Larder, a thriving farm shop at Bere Farm on the Post Green estate near Lychett Minster, the Dorset Charcuterie Company is the brainchild of Lee Moreton and Ben Sugden. These aspiring young butchers like nothing better than to “get down to some serious curing,”
Both have an innate love of charcuterie and traditional British meat products, albeit developed from disparate backgrounds; Lee trained in horticulture and Ben in engineering. They honed their butchery and curing skills in various jobs before their paths finally crossed at Goldy’s, the former farm shop that stood on the site now occupied by The Purbeck Larder. Goldy’s sadly went into liquidation, after which Ben and Lee were approached by the landlord to start a new business on the site. A four-day course in business management, courtesy of The Prince’s Trust enterprise programme, gave them the necessary impetus and they opened the shop last July.
Their passion and skill are palpable as I walk through the door. Dozens of muslin-wrapped cured meats hang drying from the rafters, the chiller cabinet is packed with an irresistible array of charcuterie, while the fresh meat counter houses plump sausages, hand-made pâtés, poultry and freshly butchered cuts.

“Dorset Charcuterie Company is emerging as a top-notch cured meat producer, creating award-winning products on a par with the best of their continental counterparts.”

Lee and Ben are fans of nose-to-tail eating, so you’ll find anything from shins to shanks and trotters and tails.
When I arrive, Lee is in the process of unwrapping a fine-looking air-dried ham while Ben is head-down at the sausage-making machine. Lee tells me this particular specimen was one he had set aside for a special occasion, “like a bottle of good champagne” he says offering me a taster.
The ham is exquisite – on a par with top-notch Parma ham. The fat is thick and unctuous – salty, clean tasting and addictive – matched by the beautifully sweet and nutty meat.
Next I have a morsel of paprika-coated coppa, followed by bresaola and then a robustly flavoured chunk of black pudding. The colour is a rich crimson rather than black, the flesh is studded with pleasing nuggets of fat, and there is a hint of brandy in the background.
Not only do Ben and Lee produce stunning continental-style charcuterie, they also have a delightful penchant for the traditional meat products more often associated with the post-war austerity years. I almost laugh in disbelief when they tell me they make their own corned beef and spam. Those of a certain age may shudder at memories of these convenience foods, as I did, but theirs are astonishingly good.
The corned beef is made with organic beef mince mixed with pickling spices, while the spam consists of pork mince, chopped ham, a hint of ginger, and milk and eggs to lighten the mix. Glossing over the details of what normally goes into commercially produced spam, they proudly tell me that theirs is “eye lid-free”. As such, it is prized by Peter Pan, a local fish and chip shop in Dorchester, known for its traditional spam fritters. Both the spam and corned beef are excellent in a sizzling fry-up such as a spam or corn beef hash or try them sliced and served with a few cornichons, some mustard and good bread.

“The extraordinary renaissance of traditional products such as tongue, spam and corned beef bring a sparkle to customers’ eyes when sold at farmers’ markets.”

I then try the beautifully flavoured tongue, peppery sliced haslet (a type of highly seasoned meatloaf) and, best of all, Bath chaps made from boned, brined and cooked pig’s cheek. These are a real feather in Lee and Ben’s butchers caps. Last Christmas they were the outright winner at The Guardian tasting trials for the perfect Christmas hamper.
We leave the butchery and go to the outdoor smokery, hand-built using an antique pine door and fired by an ancient cast-iron enamelled stove. “We like to use found objects,” explains Lee, “but without over-stepping the fine line between bodging and making do.”
Inside the smoker hang meaty Bath chaps, and a silverside of rose veal cured with salt, rosemary and thyme is about to join them. The meats will remain there for three days until deeply impregnated with the smoky flavour, before being sliced to order and vacuum-packed.
Ben and Lee fizz with ideas for new products. Next on the list is boudin blanc, a white version of black pudding made with milk, eggs, barley and cereal. Haggis is in the pipeline too. They emphasise, however, the need for great care in new product development. “We don’t want to run before we can walk,” stresses Lee.

“Dozens of muslin-wrapped cured meats hang drying from the rafters, The fresh meat counter houses plump sausages, hand-made pâtés and freshly butchered cuts.”

I ask them what lies behind this British emergence of continental charcuterie. Lee suggests that one reason is the quality and characteristics of the UK’s traditional animal breeds. The estate’s Longhorn cattle with their massive pitchfork horns, and pigs such as Saddlebacks and Tamworths take longer to rear than modern breeds. As such, they have more fat and a greater depth of flavour, and therefore make exceptionally good charcuterie. Another reason might be consumers increasing tendency to opt for locally produced food, particularly meat and cheese.
As for the extraordinary renaissance of traditional products such as tongue, spam and corned beef, it is tempting to put this down to nostalgia. Indeed, Ben tells me these products bring “a sparkle to customers’ eyes” when sold at farmers’ markets. That said, it cannot be denied that in Ben and Lee’s capable hands these national treasures verge on gastronomic excellence – big flavours, glorious textures, lip-smacking goodness.
At a time when belt-tightening is the order of the day, it is truly gratifying to see such heartfelt enthusiasm. Artisan butchers like Lee and Ben are bringing to our tables the salamis and hams, pancetta and potted meats that we have hitherto relied on our continental cousins to provide. Why buy imported versions when there is such a delicious choice to be had on our Dorset doorstep?

Spam or Corned Beef Hash

Real comfort food. Serve topped with a fried organic egg.

Serves 3–4
500g medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
3 tbsp rapeseed oil or sunflower oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
salt
freshly ground black pepper
340g spam or corned beef, cubed
3 tbsp chopped parsley
Tabasco or Worcestershire sauce
eggs, preferably organic, to serve (optional)

Method

1 Simmer the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain, tip them back into the pan and cover with a clean cloth to absorb excess steam. Chop into small cubes.
2 Heat the oil in a roomy frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and gently fry for about 10–15 minutes until golden brown, stirring now and again. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then scoop the mixture into a bowl, using a perforated spoon.
3 Next, fry the cubed potatoes until slightly browned at the edges. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4 Add the corned beef to the pan, along with the parsley and a decent glug of Tabasco or Worcestershire sauce. Add the onions and mix everything together. Keep shunting the mixture around the pan until heated through.
5 If serving with eggs, fry them in a separate pan and serve on top of the hash.

SOURCE IT

Additive-free sausages, dry-cured bacon, pancetta, black pudding, real corned beef, spam, Bath chaps, salami, biltong, air-dried ham and much more can be bought direct from The Dorset Charcuterie Company at The Purbeck Larder.
The Purbeck Larder supplies freshly butchered organic Longhorn beef, rose veal and seasonal game from the Bere Farm Estate, organic pork from Sydling Brook and Purbeck lamb. A variety of cuts are offered as only whole animals are used.
Dorset Charcuterie Company products can also be found at:

Clealls of Corfe, 25 East Street,
Corfe Castle BH20 5EE;

The Salt Pig Urban Farm Shop,
6 North Street, Wareham BH20 4AF;

Peter Pan Fish and Chip Shop,
6 Trinity Street, Dorchester DT1 1TU;

Ocean Bay Restaurant,
2 Ulwell road, Swanage BH19 1LHS;

Dorset Charcuterie Company
and The Purbeck Larder
Bere Farm, Lychett Minster, Poole, Dorset BH16 6ER. 01202 625688
or visit www.thepurbecklarder.co.uk
Opening times
Thursday to Saturday: 9am–5pm
Sunday: 10am–5pm

The Fabulous Butcher Boys

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