The story of our Charcuterie

Close Leece Farm is the result of a life-long interest in rare breed animals and sustainable farming. Tracey Ridgway, our founder, has ensured her core values – protection of rare breeds, the highest possible animal welfare standards and minimising our impact on the environment – are at the centre of everything we do.

The Farm is situated on the Isle of Man, the “Jewel in the Irish Sea”. It sits in the west of the island, nestled amongst the hills of the verdant Manx countryside and sheltered from the bluster of the Irish Sea. The land is steeped in history, particularly from the Vikings who left their mark. However – most prominent at the farm is the backdrop of Slieu Whallian, "Witches Hill", rich with legend and stories of ghosts, easily imagined as the clouds and fog swirl around its flanks. 

 

 We specialize in producing artisan award-winning charcuterie, handmade on the farm from our herd of nearly 300 Rare Breed Pedigree Tamworth pigs. We chose this breed not just for their good looks and wonderful meat, but also the quality and quantity of their fat (which allows us to avoid fat imports, as routinely used by other producers).

Our pigs are born and raised in family groups on open pasture and we are proud to be helping the survival of this wonderful Rare Breed, in conjunction with the Rare Breed Trust.

2019 was an exciting year for us, not least because we have started producing charcuterie with Rare Breed native Manx Loaghtan sheep. This ancient primitive sheep was brought to the Island by the Vikings and is prized for its wool and the taste of its meat. We collaborate with our neighbouring farms when demand outstrips our own supply. We are proud to be farming Loaghtans and helping to preserve this breed, of which there were fewer than 50 specimens in the 1950s.

We take our commitment to minimising our environmental impact seriously-

* All of our artisan charcuterie is handmade in the Farm’s 75m2 production kitchen, (using our own curing chambers, traditional methods and the finest ingredients). These on-farm facilities allow us to minimise food miles of all of our products and provide full traceability.
* We avoid plastics at every opportunity and strive to use environmentally friendly alternatives.
* We work with local growers to reduce our feed imports.

    To ensure our overall sustainability, we have expanded in the last 18 months from 5 to nearly 20 employees and now have our own farm shop and café / restaurant - which is truly Farm2Fork.

    These efforts align us well with the Isle of Man Unesco Biosphere – which promotes active conservation and responsible development.

    Our ambition – to give our rare breed animals happy lives with the best welfare standards, minimise our environmental impact and produce the highest quality, premium tasting foods.


       

      View our Charcuterie Awards here.