Great Glen Charcuterie

PRODUCER: Great Glen Charcuterie, Inverness-shire
PRODUCT: Green Pepper Venison Salami
REGION: Scotland
CATEGORY: From the Field (Artisan)

 WHAT THEY DO

A move from the Netherlands to the Scottish Highlands in 2000 led Jan Jacob and Anja Baak to begin selling fresh wild venison, a passion they have transformed into a successful charcuterie business over the past ten years.

Based in the small village of Roy Bridge, Jan began experimenting with game in a hand-built smoker in the garden, having been inspired by the family preserving he grew up with in the Netherlands.

Anja and Jan support the management of wild deer in the Highlands, an important part of the rural economy, and aim to add value to this sustainable meat to bring it to a wider market. All Great Glen Charcuterie’s wild red deer venison is sourced from a local game dealer. Venison is naturally low in calories and fat, and the company provide a number of recipes on their website to inspire and encourage cooking with this meat.

The company’s charcuterie range is all produced by hand and products are air-dried to accentuate and preserve the venison’s qualities. Anja and Jan pride themselves on creating innovative recipes and flavourings that retain the integrity of the meat, whose flavours subtly change from season to season. The pair say, “We are really connected to the landscape and the customer can get a little taste of this by purchasing our products.”

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Assessing their handmade Green Pepper Venison Salami, the Scottish panel commented on its good flavour, deeming the spicing “terrific”, and the product not too fatty.

VISIT THE WEBSITE:  greatglencharcuterie.com