Salt Pig Curing: The Cotswolds Chef Who Mastered Artisan Charcuterie

There's a moment in many chefs' careers where the obsession shifts - from what they're cooking to where the ingredients come from, how they're raised and what happens before they reach the kitchen. For Ben Dulley, founder of Salt Pig Curing Company, that moment came during five years heading up the kitchen at The Plough in Chipping Norton, where whole animal butchery and on-site curing became as central to the menu as anything that came out of the oven.

When Ben left the kitchen in 2017 to found Salt Pig Curing, he wasn't starting from scratch. He was taking years of hard-won knowledge - refined further with time spent studying traditional techniques in Tuscany - and building something permanent around it.

The philosophy: whole animal, no shortcuts

At the heart of Salt Pig Curing is a commitment to whole carcass butchery using mature, rare breed Gloucester Old Spot pigs sourced from trusted farms around Chipping Norton. Ben takes his pigs to 10 months old - significantly older than conventional commercial pork - which delivers the fat-to-lean ratio and depth of flavour that great charcuterie demands. At full weight, a carcass runs to around 120 kilos, and every part is used: legs for air-dried hams, shoulders and legs for salami, fat for studding and enriching, offal for other preparations. Nothing is wasted. Nothing is rushed.

Crucially, Salt Pig's salamis are fermented without commercial starter cultures — relying instead on natural fermentation to develop their flavour. It's slower, less predictable and considerably more skilled. It's also what makes them taste the way they do.

A range worth exploring

The product list reads like a love letter to European cured meat traditions, filtered through a Cotswolds lens. The signature Garlic & Pepper Salami - with hand-diced back fat studded through rather than blended in - is a benchmark product that earns its reputation every time. The Cotswold 'Nduja brings fiery, spreadable richness, while the sobrasada offers a milder, honey-friendly alternative. The cold-smoked tenderloin, cured with lemon and rosemary, is elegant and versatile. Build a proper spread with any of them alongside British cheese, crackers & crispbreads and something from our charcuterie & pâté selection.

The recognition

The awards tell their own story. Multiple Great Taste stars in 2024 and 2025, Gold and Best in Class at the 2023 World Charcuterie Awards, and Best Food Producer at the Cotswold Life Food & Drink Awards 2024. One Michelin-starred chef Brad Carter has called it "absolutely fantastic quality" - high praise from someone who knows exactly what that means.

Pair any Salt Pig product with a confident glass from our red wine range, or tuck the 'Nduja into fresh pasta for a mid-week dinner that punches well above its weight.

From a Cotswolds kitchen with a chef's eye for quality and a curer's patience - Salt Pig Curing is British charcuterie at its very best. Shop the full range online at Farmfetch for easy UK delivery.