A woman who has been dubbed the "pork whisperer" has lifted the lid on what it's like working as a butcher and meat curer.
Adrienne Eiser Treeby, from Bermondsey, South London, is one of just a handful of women in the UK working as a charcutier specialising in pork.
As a former professional chef, she decided to change jobs after meeting charcutier, Kris Doll, during a working stint in the US years ago.
The 38-year-old fell in love with the art of curing and cutting meat so much that she trained in it for three years, all while working full-time to pay her bills.
Adrienne, who is originally from Canada, said: "My mother calls me a 'pork whisperer'.
"I think at last count there are three of us running businesses like these – one woman in Ireland, one up north and myself in London.
"Meat is seen as an extremely masculine activity, which can make it a bit irksome when you're a woman.
"Someone once asked me if 'a woman could actually do this work' – to which I laughed and said 'well, I've been doing it for eight years, so if I have any problems, I guess I'll let you know'."
Adrienne spoke about how she cleans out dead pigs' ears and intestines.
She said: "Many years ago I had the opportunity to make sausage castings from start to finish, to which I helped clean the intestines straight from the pig, which involved a lot of flushing out the original contents.
"You can imagine what a pig might keep in there. It's not for the faint of heart, I can assure you.
"Despite all that, I actually adore the smell of the meat aging. A bit cheesy, a bit tart, really tasty. I used to say if I could bottle it as a perfume and wear it, I definitely would!”
Adrienne even names some of the pigs – as well as enjoying chats with them.
She said: "I helped feed and raise some urban pigs years ago that we named and [we] spoke to them plenty.
"Just because there is an end goal in mind, it doesn't mean you aren’t treating the animal with love and care the whole way through."
People are often surprised by the fact that Adrienne doesn't eat much meat herself.
She said: "My daughter could eat her weight in our Pigtails – the name we give our snacking sausages – but outside of that, people are often surprised at how little meat I eat and feed my family.
"I do genuinely believe that the way we eat meat needs to change and I won't eat pork, beef or lamb that I can't be certain was raised in the high-welfare, the regenerative way that I've come to believe is the only way forwards.
"Most of my family are actually in food as well – so it's less surprising dinner table conversation than you might think.
"The thing I find tickles me the most though and possibly doesn't tickle my family, is that I specialise in pork and we're Jewish... so yeah, I suppose I'm the black pig of the family!"
Adrienne's job is very physical and required her having to lug huge weights of up to 80kg.
Adrienne said: "Charcuterie is genuinely a magical process but it's actually more about curing than butchering.
"From carrying half a pig on my shoulder or hefting up 20kg of minced meat to dump it into our mixer, it's definitely a workout.
"But that said, I was still working right up till I went into labour with my daughter, so I'd argue anyone can figure out a way to do it!
"And like most jobs, it's only hard if you aren't enthusiastic about what you're doing."
In 2014, Adrienne launched her own company, Crown & Queue Meats, making British cured meats from traditional and historical British recipes.
However, being a meat curer isn't easy in 2022, with veganism growing in popularity.
Adrienne says she doesn't want people to consume more meat but rather change the way they eat to reduce waste.
She said: "I honestly do believe that the way we eat meat needs to change, including reducing how much we consume and what farming practices we are willing to accept.
"That’s one of the reasons why I am so particular about which farms we work with, the business is low-to-zero-waste and why we’re so transparent about the process.
"My best friend growing up was a vegetarian and she was actually one of the most supportive [when I launched my business].
"Understanding what you eat, and respecting it, should be everyone's goals, whatever they choose to eat."
