Shropshire Salumi

Shropshire born Will Macken is a local Ludlow and Marches Slow Food member and a staunch advocate of Slow Food. Originally trained as a Zoologist, he is a former conservation consultant and Will has had a passion for charcuterie and cured meats for many years. In his spare time as a hobby, he made his own salumi at home and, as Will perfected his skills, friends and relatives encouraged him to take his hobby to the next level, which is now a business, Shropshire Salumi.

Most people don't automatically think of Shropshire or even Britain when they look for a good salumi, however Will Macken and his sister Molly are doing just that, slowly curing meats using traditional methods, and local ingredients, to offer full flavoured, richly textured Salumis and cured meats.

It is believed that the Romans originally introduced sausage making to Britain, however the curing of meats in Britain dates back to around the 15th century. Many family smallholdings during this time would have had at least one pig, and once a year the pig would have been slaughtered by the family, ensuring every bit of the animal was used. The pig carcass was stripped, and some parts used as fresh meat, with the remainder being cured by salting, cooking, and smoking.

Salumi or Salami is cured meat made from specific whole cuts of an animal. Will Macken produces his salumi, with locally outdoor reared high welfare Gloucester old spot pork, and also other traditional pig breeds when available. The beef he uses is from Ed at Perry Wood Farm (another Slow Food member) and the venison used is locally shot. Shoulder and belly cuts are used for the salumi, but the use of the whole carcass includes making guanciale (from the pork cheek or jowls), and preserving collars and loin.

In France, Italy, and other European countries where the production of salami and cured meats is more common, the climate is warmer, so cured meats are traditionally air-dried, whereas in Britain with its cooler climate, fermenting fridges/cupboards are used to preserve and dry the meats.

As Will says, ‘Created by hand, just how they should be’.

Will and his sister Molly originally began producing in a tiny space at home, doubling that space as the business grew, then they moved to a purpose-built unit in a village just South of Shrewsbury, which now gives them space to produce good quantities, and grow organically as their sales increase.

To make the salumi, the meats are cut, minced and where necessary with venison, additional fat is added. Salt and other seasonings including herbs and spices are mixed in to create different flavours and then when ready, the mix is added to a sausage making machine where the meat mixture is pumped into natural collagen casings.

Will currently uses two fermenting units, which creates a slow acidification process promoting a series of chemical reactions in the meat. He hangs the sausages and whole hams, so that the bacteria in the prepared meats breaks down the sugars, one to enhance flavour and two, to lower the pH levels which stops the growth of harmful bacteria. With the addition of salt in the make-up of the meat products, the process also slowly dries out the meat extracting moisture.

Currently production is approximately 300kg of salumi each production day.

The snacking salami, which Will & Molly make as a bar snack, is cut into long thin sausages, and then hung over rails in the fermentation cupboard. For the 200g weighted fatter salami for slicing, the seasoned meat is pumped through a larger nozzle into the casing, then tied at either end with string, and clipped to secure the salumi to the string, ready to hang on individual hooks in the fermentation cupboard. This stringing process at one time was labour intensive and carried out by hand, but as the business grew, Will & Molly invested in a compact machine which completes the job in seconds, and so gives them time to make more Salumi.

www.shropshire-salumi.co.uk

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Slow cured