The Journey of Heritage: Raising Pedigree Saddlebacks

29th April 2026

At Goodwood Home Farm, heritage and sustainability go hand in hand. For over 20 years, the farm has been breeding traditional British pigs, including British Saddlebacks, Gloucestershire Old Spots and Large Whites. Today, under the care of Pig Manager Jimmy Spicer, who has dedicated the past decade to the farm, the focus is on becoming a pure homebred British Saddleback farm. The aim is to build a herd of 62 pedigree sows to produce its own replacements and preserve this historic bloodline for generations to come.

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A Rare British Breed

The British Saddleback is a heritage breed with deep roots in the South of England, particularly East Sussex and West Sussex. Once a common breed on British farms, the British Saddleback, known for their slower growth and traditional rearing methods, declined significantly with the rise of commercial farming, which favoured faster-growing breeds.

At Goodwood, that story is being rewritten.

By investing in pedigree breeding and expanding the herd, the farm is helping to restore the Saddleback breed to the British countryside and back to its origins, completing a full-circle journey of heritage.

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Life on the Farm

Goodwood’s pigs live outdoors on 100 acres of the 11,000 acre estate, moving from field to field each year as part of a carefully managed rotational system. Jimmy Spicer and his son Tom work side by side every day, all year round, caring for the animals and the land.

Over the past decade, their dedication has driven the farm steadily toward its goal of becoming a leading pedigree Saddleback producer.

Every day, Jimmy feeds, breeds and cares for the pigs, ensuring their welfare is maintained to the highest standard. Their bedding is regularly cleared and refreshed with straw, while both hand feeding and topping up feeders to ensure they always have steady access to food. Strimming and general field maintenance are carried out by Tom, a job he particularly enjoys.

For Jimmy, farming is more than a job, it’s a way of life. He finds joy in farrowing, welcoming new litters into the world.

“When you’re having a bad day, there’s nothing seeing ten newborn piglets can’t fix.” he says.“I’m so lucky to have a job I love. It’s a lifestyle. I get a real sense of achievement from it.”

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Building the Bloodline

In recent years, the farm has been carefully developing its British Saddleback breed. The current herd includes the lines of Carl and Guardsman boars alongside Lottie gilts, with plans to introduce Duke boars and Duchess, Ivy and Belle gilts this year.

These bloodlines, Duke, Carl, Guardsman, Duchess, Lottie, Ivy and Belle, will form the foundation of Goodwood’s future pedigree Saddleback herd, ensuring both genetic diversity and long-term sustainability.

“We want to be renowned for quality stock, especially with the Goodwood name.”   Jimmy explains.

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Character and Care

Saddlebacks are known not only for their exceptional meat but also for their kind and gentle temperament.

“Our Saddleback gilts are brilliant mothers…they’re very gentle for their size,” says Jimmy. “They may look similar, but each one has its own individual quirks.”

Despite common misconceptions, pigs are neither dirty nor aggressive by nature. Their muddy appearance serves a practical purpose as pigs cannot sweat, so they rely on wallows to regulate their body temperature during warmer months. At Goodwood, they have access to water in wallows every day to keep cool.

Weather remains one of the biggest challenges.“Six months of the year are perfect, but the other six are either too wet or too hot.” Jimmy says. To ensure their welfare is to the highest standard year round, the pigs are provided with straw-filled arcs for shelter and comfort, along with constant access to feed. During hotter periods, when pigs eat less during the day, ad-lib feeders allow them to eat when it suits them, promoting a stress-free lifestyle with the freedom to make their own decisions.

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The Importance of May

Each year, May marks a key moment in the pig farming calendar. It is when the pigs begin their gradual move to fresh pasture, a process that takes around three months to complete.

This annual transition is essential to maintaining both animal welfare and land quality, ensuring that each field has time to recover and be repurposed for crop production.

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Feeding the Land

The pigs are fed a natural, balanced diet based on expert recommendations and guidelines, supporting both their health and the quality of the meat they produce. But their role extends beyond food production as they are an integral part of the farm’s ecosystem.

“They give back to the land. It’s a circle.” Jimmy explains. “They thrive off the soil and the crops thrive off the pigs.”

Through their natural behaviour, the pigs fertilise and condition the soil. When they move to new pasture, the previous fields are ploughed and planted with cereals such as barley and wheat, benefiting from the enriched ground. This rotational system supports soil health and reinforces Goodwood’s sustainable farming practices. This ultimately supporting the production of nutrient-rich food that contributes to human gut health.

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From Farm to Fork

“The Saddleback is what makes Goodwood pork different.” says Jimmy. “You know exactly where it comes from. You can walk a few steps from the Farm Shop and see the pigs right there.”

This transparency lies at the heart of Goodwood’s zero food miles, farm-to-fork philosophy, offering customers a direct connection to the source of their food at a time when provenance matters more than ever.

Farming at Goodwood ensures guests are provided with organic, exceptional quality meat with complete transparency over its origins. Visit the Goodwood Farm Shop to purchase high quality cuts from our butchers counter or dine in one of our restaurants, including Farmer, Butcher, Chef, a celebration of the beef, pork and lamb reared at Goodwood Home Farm.

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