Bringing a little bit of Spain to Northern Ireland – Orce Serrano Hams
Posted: 14 May '10 by Niall
A little bit of Spain from Orce Serrano Hams
When the grey skies, the stress at work, and the plummeting temperatures get us down, one of our more frequent pie-in-the-sky plans is to live somewhere exotic, and to run our own (foodie) business.
It was about a month ago that we noticed that Orce Serrano Hams was following us on Twitter. I’m quite partial to a bit of charcuterie (not to mention Spanish cooking) so I visited their website to see what they were all about. And what a find it was!
Ex-pats Iain and Gayle have been living the dream: exporting Spanish delicacies from their cave-house in Granada. To top it all off, they’re also extremely nice people – always ready for a chat and some friendly advice to help you enjoy and make the most of your purchases.
Trying not to get too jealous, I sat in rain-swept Northern Ireland and emailed Iain in sun-kissed Andalucia to learn a little more about Orce Serrano Hams..
- Where did “Orce Serrano Hams” come from?
- The idea all came about in a tapas bar with a plate of jamon! We immediately realised that Spanish jamon, tapas and the cuisine in general was something that could and most certainly should be exported! We have always been passionate about Mediterranean cuisine, after moving to southern Spain we realised the extensive array of gastronomic delights the country has to offer. Everyone has heard of Paella but there is so much more that Spain has to offer – from regional dishes influenced by the Moors to seafood from Galicia and of course the world famous Serrano and Iberico hams. It didn’t take much to gather plenty of enthusiasm for the selection of recipes and products here!
- Where are you based?
- In a cave, underground. It might sound rather odd but we run the online delicatessen from a Spanish cave house. Caves are situated in the Granada region in Andalucia and have recently had a revival, it fits in well with our aim to be a green business as caves have fantastic insulation properties and are incredibly eco friendly.
- Where do you get your produce from?
- We just sell local hams. It took quite a few months and lots of taste-testing to establish the best examples from the area, the main positive is that Orce customers only receive local hams and not mass produced examples, a piece of “real” Spain if you like. We do have two specially chosen suppliers of Iberico hams. 5J or cinco jotas which are commonly regarded as the world’s finest and also hams from the Pedroches valley in Cordoba, one of only a handful of regions awarded the “Denominacion de Origen” stamp of authenticity.
- So, you’re a one-stop shop for Spanish Cuisine?
- We like to think so! Aside from Spanish hams we also have a full range of cured sausages including a unique “Fire Chorizo” (very hot) as well as paella ingredients, Andalucian hampers, wines, liquors, vinegars, olive oils and many other local artisan foods and ingredients. Customers are not afraid to tell us what they want and we enjoy tracking down and introducing new lines regularly such as Sobrasada, Morcon and hard to find products like Crema Catalana liqueur and Licor 43.
- I’ve always wanted to know – what’s the difference between Serrano Ham and Iberico Ham?
- That’s a question we’re often asked. There are two main types of ham – Serrano ham and Iberico ham. The Serrano ham accounts for over 90% of cured ham production in Spain, it comes from the white pig (Landrace and Duroc breeds being popular). The humble Serrano or “Mountain” ham is extremely popular but is very different to the Iberico version. Iberico ham reigns as king, although even the Spanish will argue which one is actually the best. These hams come from a different pig – a relative of the wild boar, to be classed Iberico the pig must be at least 70% pure Iberian strain. There is a myth that all Iberian pigs are fed on acorns, this is not true. A “bellota” Iberian ham has been acorn-fed but there also other grades such as Cebo and Recebo, the former receives no acorns and the latter a mix of acorns with compound feed. The true difference is in the taste-test – Iberian hams have a higher fat content and the texture of the meat is sublime. Serrano hams are still very good, but they’re really a different product.
- Your website has lots of great tapas recipes. But what’s your favourite tapas?
- Now that’s a question! Are we allowed a list? Top contenders in the flavour department would have to be Spanish ham with either (or combination of) manchego cheese, olives, red wine, salted almonds or melon. Paella is a classic served in tapas portions and also gambas al pil pil (chili garlic prawns), chorizo is a great all rounder either fried on wilted spinach or on its own and others such as flamenco eggs, bacalao, and stuffed peppers. There are simply too many!
- Any tips for living La Vida Espana?
- Take a relaxed approach -food is always a family and friends affair here in Spain, and recipes can be adapted so there are no rules. Siesta time after a big midday paella is essential and late eating is very common. The tapas culture is of course still very much alive in Granada so to adopt some of that will reap reward at any party. Most importantly, enjoy the food and remember – there’s no rush!
- What’s the future for Orce Serrano Hams?
- Spanish food has never been more popular, we have already had to “dig” additional storage space in the cave but we will shortly be moving to new premises. For the future we would certainly envisage expansion with a retail outlet in the UK. The ethos though will always remain the same and that is to be a family run business, after all we two young sons snapping at our heels to take over!
Thanks Iain!
You can see the photos here:
Chilli and Chocolate members:
There’s a very handy discount available at Orce Serrano Hams at the minute. Visit the Members’ Section for more details.
Other information
You should visit the Orce Serrano Hams website. They don’t just sell hams – although there’s plenty of tasty jamons to choose from – but there’s Spanish black puddings, chorizo, tapas hampers.. too much to mention here. There’s a great tapas recipe list too.
You can click here see the photos from our tapas party and get the Chilli and Chocolate tapas recipes.
Tags: food heroes, meet the producer, orce serrano hams, spain, spanish food
Categories: Chilli and Chocolate Talk To..
