Gloucester Old Spots Another instantly recognisable pig. Originally from the Severn Valley where it was kept in the apple orchards grazing on the windfalls and was known, not unreasonably, as the Orchard Pig.

The story is, that its black spots were bruises caused by apples dropping on it - but perhaps not. It is a large white pig with a broad deep body and large hams, lop ears coming right down to the nose and of course the large clearly defined black spots, in any number, anywhere on its body. These are hardy outdoor pigs, providing shelter is available. They will make either pork or bacon but like many of our rare breeds, they don't finish as quickly as a modern commercial hybrid so you need to bear that in mind.

The meat is worth waiting for though and at present it seems to be gaining popularity in specialist butchers. They do have a reputation for sometimes being stubborn, I've certainly spent over an hour persuading two to come OUT of a trailer but there was no unpleasantness, just a firmly expressed disinclination to stand up and walk down the ramp until they were good and ready. On the other hand they are my daughter's favourite breed, which is good enough for me.

Breed Society: Gloucestershire Old Spots Breeders Club, 2 St Johns Road, Stansted, Essex, CM24 8JP.

Tel: 01279 812019 E-Mail: kernigits@hotmail.com Website: www.oldspots.com Large Black Our only all - black breed. Originally there were two separate Large Black types, one developed from local pigs in Devon and Cornwall and another in East Anglia. These two breeds came together as the Large Black Pig Society in 1889. These are large docile pigs with lop ears so big that they actually restrict their vision but this does make them easy to keep in their run. They have an excellent mothering reputation and do well outdoors. Traditionally these were bacon-type pigs and they were crossed with Large White boars to produce large baconers or with Middle White boars for porkers. These cross breeds were known as Blue Pigs. Large Blacks were very popular and numerous in the early part of the 20th Century but went into decline when the market turned against their coloured skin. Like so many of the rare breeds though they are making a recovery now as the quality of their meat is being appreciated again.

Breed Society: Large Black Breeders Club, West Farm, Ruckley, Shropshire, SY5 7HR Tel: 01694 731318.

Email: sbarker@largeblackpigs.co.uk Website: www.largeblackpigs.co.uk Middle White A breed regarded as a specialist pork type, the Middle White is early maturing and quick growing which is a significant advantage. Its meat is once again very highly regarded both in this country and overseas. Unusually for a breed of pigs its creation is well documented. The story goes that at the 1852 Keighley Agricultural Show a weaver called Joseph Tuley showed some Large White pigs. The judges thought that some of these weren't "Large" enough to be in the class, but they weren't eligible for the Small White (extinct since 1912) class either. So they created a new showing class, just for these pigs and called it the Middle Breed. An amazing complement to the quality of Mr Tuley's animals. Further breeding including the Large and Small Whites produced the pig we have today. Not a big pig, white with prick ears and the most distinctively dished face of all the breeds, a sure sign of the Chinese blood used in developing the Small White, but it also means that it tends to root less than some of the long nosed breeds. Its numbers declined during the Second World War but it is recovering now due to the sheer quality of its meat.

Breed Society: Middle White Breeders Club, Benson Lodge, 50 Old Slade Lane, Iver, Buckinghamshire, SL0 9DR.

Tel: 01753 654166.

Email: miranda@middlewhites.freeserve.co.uk Oxford Sandy and Black Believed to be the traditional cottagers pig from the Oxford area and although it has been known for 200 years or so, it has teetered on the very brink of extinction at least twice. The breeds that have gone into its makeup are not very clear, although it is thought to have links with both the Tamworth and the Berkshire. However, it has had its own breed society since 1985 so it is to be hoped that its position is secured for the future. This is a largish pig with lop ears and a slightly dished face. The coat is anywhere between a light sandy colour and rust, with random black blotches. It also has a white mark on its face, white feet and a white tip to its tail. This colouring serves as good protection against sunburn outdoors and the pig is a natural browser and forager. It is useful as a porker and will go on to make bacon without too much fat. The breed's most recognised quality though is its excellent temperament which everyone who has had any dealing with them remarks on.

Breed Society: Oxford, Sandy & Black Club, Tadneys Farm, Fox Lane, Kempsey, Worcester, WR5 3QD Tel. 01905 821828 Email: osbps@aol.com Website : www.oxfordsandypigs.co.uk Tamworth The breed that shows the least influence of the Chinese type and it's thought to be our nearest descendant of the Old English Forest Pig. The Tamworth was particularly unfashionable when the Chinese importations were taking place, so the breed wasn't thought worth improving at that time and was left alone. As a result it has a long body, long head and the longest snout of today's breeds. Its ears are pricked but slightly inclined forwards. The most distinguishing feature though is its red-gold coat, which is ideal for an outdoor pig as it protects them from sunburn. They are slow to mature but will make lean pork and eventually bacon. In my experience they can run like greyhounds and dig like moles. They're alert, inquisitive and have to explore everything. In the right situation though, they can be very successful. Many people keep them happily in established woodland, which must be close to the natural environment of their ancestors.

Breed Society: Tamworth Breeders Club Tel: 01725 517071 Email: m.v.card@homecall.co.uk Welsh In the second half of the 19th century this was a coarse type of pig that was traded out of Wales into Cheshire for fattening as a bacon pig on dairy by-products. But the Welsh Pig was steadily improved, until by the 1960s the breed was one of the three most numerous commercial breeds in the country, producing both pork and bacon. Since that high point though, its numbers have dropped as commercial hybrids are being produced without using the Welsh Pig. This breed has been charmingly described as pear-shaped, they're large white, lop eared pigs, hardy and thrive outdoors as well as inside.

Breed society: Welsh and Borders Pig Breeders Association Email: kcbrown@amserve.com Website : www.pigsonline.org.uk The next few breeds are far from rare, in fact they're all well established in the commercial sector. I'm including them in this list for information as there are simply more of them and their crosses about, so if you decide not to go for a rare breed and are looking for pigs locally a commercial pig farmer may have something based on these breeds to offer you.

British Landrace Not a rare breed, and until 1949 not a British breed either. Originally Danish, it is now a firmly established commercial breed in this country. It's a long backed, white, lop eared breed with lean meat.

Duroc A hardy, red, American commercial breed that is used for outdoor production.

Large White Developed around Leeds in Yorkshire during the 19th Century, this is a big white pig with a long body, prick ears and a slightly dished face. An immensely successful breed it is used widely in commercial breeding and has been exported worldwide.

Hampshire An important commercial American breed, based on Wessex pigs imported to the USA from a farm in Hampshire. Its appearance is rather like a Saddleback but with prick ears.

Other Contacts Rare Breeds Survival Trust, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. CV8 2LG Tel: 024 7669 6551 Fax: 024 7669 6706 Email: enquiries@rbst.org.uk enquiries@rbst.org.uk Website: www.rbst.org.uk British Pig Association, Trumpington Mews, 40B High Street, Trumpington, Cambridge. CB2 2LS Tel: 01223 845100 Fax: 01223 846235 Email: bpa@britishpigs.org Website: www.britishpigs.org.uk