There’s nothing like the sensation of a pig chewing on your boot, though there are worse things. Like the sensation of a pig chewing on your kneecap.
A few days ago, I was back at the Ummera smokery to shoot some more work for my long-term project there.
Anthony gave me his usual warm welcome and showed me the chicken breasts that were in the smoker. The smell was just divine.
He imports the oak he uses from Germany, where he is able to source wood grown in a sustainable fashion that comes with all the right paperwork.
Smoldering oak shavings in a drawer of Ummera's smoker. (c) Roger Overall 2010
After a look at the smoker, we went for a wander to find Ummera’s two new pigs: Velma and Daphne, named after the two girls in Scooby Doo. In a few months’ time, they’ll be on the shelves at finer food outlets through Co. Cork.
While one of the pigs was quite docile, the other took an instant dislike to me. She started gnawing on my knee, having failed to push me to the ground to get at the softer areas around my throat.
Okay, I exaggerate. It wasn’t quite a tussle to the death. Nonetheless, you wouldn’t want to meet a gang of pigs when they’re in that kind of mood.
Maybe I shouldn’t have ordered a pack of bacon in front of them.
Daphne, or Velma, charges from her lair. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Enter at your peril. Actually, I think this is the cuddly one. (c) Roger Overall 2010
