March at The Rhynd

May 28
4 min read

EXPLODING PIGS!

Left to right: Pablo and Francis (we ran out of female pig puns)

I had never heard of Mangalitsa pigs, and when someone showed me a photo of them, I thought they were taking the piss. If you were asked to draw a ‘sheep-pig’, a Mangalitsa is what you’d produce. They are very hairy.

I started looking into them a little more, and in recent times their meat has become known as ‘the wagyu of pork’ such is the marbling. They have also been designated national treasures in Hungary, which makes them sound like porcine David Attenboroughs.

We ended up buying some as weaners in April last year to then fatten up over 18 months. Francis Bacon and Pablo Pigasso are with us until July but – despite being national treasures – they are testing our patience. Our Tamworths were wonderfully well behaved and whilst they dug the ground up a bit, they never tried to escape or destroy anything. Probably because they were crossed with boars back in 1833, Mangalitsas are living, breathing Challenger 2 tanks, piloted by methamphetamine-taking crazies. The ground in the two-acre field has been completely destroyed – not a single blade of grass has been spared the wanton destruction. They have now turned their attention to the trees, which are surrounded by metal protectors. A dead one was ripped clean out of the ground – protector and tree – and they then proceeded to just bite the tree clean in half before throwing the 20kg metal protector around like a ragdoll. When I parked the trailer in the field to take the Tamworths off to market, Francis decided that rubber tyres were fascinating and tried to bite through those as well. I dread the day someone sees me feeding them in the morning as I resemble a 6’ 7” child playing ‘the floor is lava’ as I dodge their snouts. Clean jeans look like I have slept rough for six weeks within two seconds of opening the gate. It’s got to the stage that I genuinely sneak up behind the wall before unlocking the gate and running to their trough.

The wasteland left by the pair

They are hard not to love – their huge ears and hairiness make them look eternally quizzical, but they are set on destroying anything in their path. I wonder what on earth they get up to at night as the heavy plastic troughs that I use are often moved 40 metres.

Mangalitsas were first established in 1833 when Serbian Prince Miloš Obrenović gave 12 pigs to Archduke Joseph Anton Johann of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Crossed with native Hungarian breeds, they were hardy, fat-rich ‘lard’ pigs that could survive harsh winters. Indeed, the breeder I bought Francis and Pablo off said they could survive in temperatures down to minus 35 degrees. The challenge is keeping them cool in the summer.

Within a few decades, Mangalitsas were the dominant breed in the Austro-Hungarian region and one pig could produce up to 70 litres of rendered fat, which was great if you wanted to make candles, soap, cosmetics, lubricants or explosives. With one Mangalitsa pig, you could fill a house with sweet-smelling soap and cosmetics, before levelling it. Then along came vegetable oils and health concerns around lard. Mangalitsas also took too long to grow as industrial farming crept in. By 1990, fewer than 200 purebred animals remained in Hungary.

The breed, thankfully, was saved by dedicated breeders and a man called Péter Tóth founded the National Association of Mangalica Breeders in 1994. The population now is roughly 50,000, two of which are living a very happy, destructive life at The Rhynd. I wonder if they know just how explosive they are? Maybe a moved trough is the least of my worries.

EVENTS AT THE RHYND

We are down to the last few tickets for our final Chef's table dinner of the season on Friday 17 April. We also have a very limited number of tickets left for our 2026 Wine safari and forest feast events:May 15 – two ticketsMay 22 – four ticketsJuly 17 – fully bookedJuly 24 – four ticketsAugust 14 – two ticketsAugust 21 – fully bookedSeptember 18 – two ticketsThese will go quickly so please book asap if you'd like to join us for one of these unique dining experiences.

CAFÉ SPECIALS FOR APRIL

Craigie Estate venison and black pudding burger, with purple 'slaw, applewood-smoked cheddar, chorizo and apple jam

(18.95)

Teriyaki lamb backstrap, with fried spring-green salad, crispy shallots and smoked chilli oil

(23.95)

UPCOMING CALENDAR

Café

Open as usual Friday to Sunday

Please book a table

Scottish Clay Shooting Centre

Open as usual Fridays and Saturdays, and by appointment during the week

Please book a slot