New bresaola from Northern Irish craft charcuterie

Ispni Charcuterie in Northern Ireland has introduced a new bresaola to its developing portfolio of hand cured meats.

The bresaola is cured in a blend of rosemary and thyme, and then air dried for at least five weeks before packaging for a growing list of retail customers in Northern Ireland. The company is also developing online sales and has attracted interest from charcuterie lovers in Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

Based at Aughnacloy in county Tyrone, Ispini Charcuterie is an artisan business that's developing a range of cured meats from locally sourced ingredients including pork from pigs reared on the family farm by Jonny Cuddy, the founder of the small business.

"The bresaola is cured using the best locally sourced beef and cured slowly for a delicious flavour," Mr Cuddy says.

"Northern Ireland has a heritage in the production of superb beef from pasture-fed animals. Producing a bresaola, therefore, made good business sense and it's proving hugely popular with customers. This is because the flavour is outstanding."

Mr Cuddy set up the charcuterie business last year as a farm diversification initiative and subsequently studied meat curing techniques at the School of Artisan Foods in Nottinghamshire.

The small company already produces a range of chorizo and salami products. It also gained 'Best Manufacturing Plant' in the prestigious Butchery Excellence Awards. The Butchery Excellence Ireland's awards lead the way in celebrating and acknowledging traditional butchery skills, whilst rewarding innovative and new techniques that are required to excel in a modern butchery environment.