CHRIS LEACH INTERVIEW, MANTECA

WHY NOSE TO TAIL?

I’ve been lucky in that there’s always been some sort of idea of whole animals or links to the farm in most places I’ve worked. The first place I cheffed at was a farm to table restaurant called The Lime Tree in Manchester. The owner had a farm and some pigs. As you get further down the line into understanding what it means to raise an animal and the farming practices, then you learn to value the entire animal.

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR MEAT?

Most of our pigs come from Philip Warren [the Cornish butchers who farm] because pigs are the constant on the menu. But then we will work direct with other farmers and take what they have available.

In a couple of weeks, we’re getting a Tamworth Sow and a Mangalitsa Sow from a couple in Devon, which will be amazing for curing. So, we take these little bits and pieces as and when. Generally, we look at their farming practices, what the animals are fed and how they’re used to manage the land. We ask questions and, usually, visit the farms.