Duchy Charcuterie
We talk to founder Marc Dennis
Who founded the business and when and where are you based?
I am Mark Dennis, the founder and owner of Duchy Charcuterie and I started the business seven years ago alongside a fantastic, local pig farming business based here in Cornwall. They had received some funding and had invested in state of the art charcuterie cabinets and wanted to make cured meat products from their pigs but didn't know how to do it. I knew the team well as I often traded next to them at Truro farmers market with a different business that I had at the time and they asked me if I would be able to help develop these new product lines. They knew of my background working within the catering and butchery sector during my time in London previously. Before long I was producing chorizo and other products and distributing them to some 60 or 70 restaurants. Feedback from the beginning was really good. Before long we had to increase supply as demand grew and this meant investing in further equipment and more cabinets. After a while the demand was for more product than the butchers could cope with at their facility and so we decided to separate the businesses with me continuing with the charcuterie side. That was around three and a half years ago now and it was a busy and stressful time as I quickly had to find and convert a local facility to house the new business from our base here in Redruth.
What was your background before Duchy Charcuterie?
Previously I was a director at a long-established (75 year old) catering butchers in London and over a 30 year career I’ve always had a really hands-on approach within the meat and butchery sector. The time came however when I decided to move away from London for a change of pace and this led me down to Cornwall.
My first business in Cornwall was in partnership with a professional hunter who had a very highly regarded game meat business which we developed together. In our time together before Duchy Charcuterie was formed we sold close to 1,000 deer and 30,000 pheasants.
How important is the quality of animal to your business?
The pig farming business that I started with is a huge advocate of rare breed animals so they work with Cornish Blacks, Gloucester Old Spots and English saddle backs which are some of the oldest pig lines in England. I'm always looking to seek out animals with the best fat content I can possibly find and I also work with other pig farmers too that supply me with incredible animals of the age that I'm after (which is 12/ 13 months old) and with the fat content and quality that I need.
And other ingredients?
We source the very best spices and herbs that we can. Many of our products have a continental influence and so spices are important. We work with an incredible spice merchant that is second to none in terms of quality. The fennel seeds, green peppercorns and tellicherry peppercorns we get from them for example are head and shoulders above other suppliers we have tried so yes we use the best ingredients we can source.
How did you learn the craft of charcuterie?
Mainly from reading books! Although I always loved holidaying in France and Spain and hugely admired the cured meat heritage over there. I was making my own chorizo and curing my own bacon for many years before starting Duchy. My background working in the meat trade also gave me a sense of the importance of sourcing and treating animals properly too.
How would you describe your style of production?
It's changed over the years. At first I wanted to have a point of difference in the products I was making compared to others but came to realise that it doesn't always help sell your product. So soon I began to develop a core range of product that resonated well with the market with a southern Italian Influence.
What are the guiding principles of the business?
We want to showcase British charcuterie at it's very best. There are some fantastic producers in this country now and it’s possible to blind taste some British cured meat against the best European product and you wouldn't tell the difference. That’s what we aim to achieve too.
How do you think the charcuterie scene has developed here in the UK over the last 10 years?
In the last 10 years I'd say it's grown tenfold in terms of the number of producers creating cured meat products here . Among them are some excellent producers as well as some average and some poor producers. There are also some fantastic local farms here that produce their own charcuterie that they sell at their own farmers markets and some of it is incredible too! The market is growing and there is a space for mass market charcuterie in the UK as well as a separate market in the more premium artisan products.
Much of the growing awareness of British charcuterie is driven by the restaurants of course and it's great to see more home produced cured meat appearing on platters in pubs and restaurants around the country.
Tell us about the Charcuterie Masters that you entered in the US?
The Charcuterie Masters is an awards ceremony for the biggest and best producers in America and takes place in Flushing, New York. It takes place in the local town hall and is really highly regarded and well attended and I decided to enter and attend in 2020 with another local producer from Devon. I honestly didn't have any expectations about winning anything and was completely blown away to end up winning best prosciutto in a class of more than 50 hams from all around the country. It was a really proud moment. I couldn't believe it. We were the first UK to producer to win any award outside of the UK
Which countries cured meats seen appeals to you the most outside of the UK?
It has to be Italy for me. I love the regional variation of products so much. It’s fantastic. You can travel just 15 miles away from one town or village and find a completely different set of flavours. It's so exciting. I particularly love the Calabrian area of Italy with its fantastic ‘Nduja and Spiniata. I love their artisan production techniques and the spice notes they introduce.
What's your favourite product from your own range?
That's a difficult question but I would have to say it's our Coppa. I love the simplicity of the product and the meat to fat ratio. Some peppercorns, salt and garlic. Simple but delicious ! Our biggest seller however is ‘Nduja which is easy enough to make but is a messy operation with all that pepper paste and pork fat! We have probably sold ten tonnes of ‘Nduja since we started however so people obviously like it!