Pig in a Day
from £245.00
Bring home the bacon... and the sausages and pâté too! Join us for one of our original bestselling courses, a day of butchery and cookery tuition celebrating pigs and pork.
Pig in a Day is one of our renowned signature courses and a firm favourite in the diverse schedule at HQ. In one intensive day you will explore the basic principles of pig husbandry, welfare, butchery and how to prepare and cook the results.
Join the River Cottage chefs who will show you how to approach the carcass of a whole pig, transforming it into a wide range of fantastic products and delicious recipes.
The morning begins with an introduction to pig husbandry, animal welfare and the butchery of primary cuts. From there you will be shown how to make your own sausages and bacon, as well as how to make the lesser known treats of roasted pig’s head joint and devilled kidneys. During the day there will be tasters and a delicious two-course lunch prepared by the chefs in the kitchen with an opportunity to wander around our idyllic surroundings. You'll head home with a new set of skills, your very own handmade liver pâté & sausages and a River Cottage Handbook.
Your day
10:00 - 17:00
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Arrive at River Cottage
You’ll begin your River Cottage experience with a 10-15 minute walk through the pathways down to the farm, giving you the chance to soak up the views of the valley.
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Make yourself at home
Your tutor for the day will be there to meet you and you'll settle in with tea, coffee and treats fresh from the kitchen.
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Session One
We will look at husbandry, provenance, the carcass and how to butcher a pig into the primary cuts.
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Session Two
Next you'll learn how to prepare and tie roasting joints and the tricks to getting the perfect crackling.
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Session Three
You will learn how to make sausages, liver pâté and a range of delicious offal recipes including brain nuggets, roasted pig’s head, and devilled kidneys. You'll have tasters of these throughout your day.
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Lunch
Food is always the focus at River Cottage, and a fantastic two-course lunch of local, seasonal produce with porky additions will be one of the highlights of your day.
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Session Four
Next you will get to grips with fabulously flavoursome dry cured bacon and make delicious River Cottage bangers.
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Departure
There will be time to chat to your fellow scholars and the River Cottage team, before heading back up the hill at 5pm, liver pâté and River Cottage bangers in hand.
Please note: This is a guide to the activities that will make up your course at River Cottage. This is by no means set in stone and will depend on seasonal availability.
On occasion cookery schools will use equipment that includes induction hobs. It is recommended that people with pace makers should not work on these units. If you are concerned or would like to check whether or not induction hobs will be used on the course you are interested in, please call us on 01297 630302.
Further information...
This course is run from River Cottage HQ on the Dorset/Devon borders. Full address details of HQ will be provided once you have booked.
We are a licensed venue. We have a wide selection of the finest organic wines available to purchase.
Stay in our famous Farmhouse, click here. For other local accommodation click here.
We would advise that this course is only really suitable for 12 years of age and upwards. Under 16s must be accompanied by a paying adult. We put these guidelines in place for the safety, comfort and enjoyment of all our guests.
With many of our courses there are often treats and leftovers to take away with you. In our quest to be more sustainable we are encouraging guests to bring their own containers and bags to transport their produce home. Details of what is required for each course will be included in booking emails.
- Sustainable Restaurant Association
- Food and Travel Magazine 2017
- Great British Food Awards 2017
- Great British Food Awards 2018