Homer Simpson once questioned whether one beast could offer up so much deliciousness as the humble pig. Pork, bacon and ham get the accolades, whilst here at Bishop Sessa we’ve found secondary cuts like jowl can be just as delectable if treated right.
As we weigh our cravings with the farming of this intelligent beast, ‘free range’ pork is becoming more and more popular – unfortunately resulting in some mass farmers cutting corners in providing their animals with a truly ‘free range’ experience.
Matt Simmons from Melanda Park free range pork with Bishop Sessa chef Paul Cooper
The pigs at Melanda Park free range are part of an overall ecosystem of farming – they spend their entire lives in truly free range conditions roaming paddocks, grazing grass, digging things up and generally making a useful mess.
Matthew and Sue Simmons took some time out from their busy days to tell us about Melanda Park.
Can you tell us your name and your role at Melanda Park?
Matt and Sue Simmons. Owner manager, chief cook and bottle washer.
Is there any such thing as a typical day for you? If so, what would that look like?
A typical day would be feed all the pigs with a 1 tonne feed out bin behind the tractor, then we hand feed all lactating sow. Then check water troughs and pump system. Then we attend to any sows that are about to give birth, then attend to any emergency problems like broken fencing. That’s as long as it’s not a Monday when we weigh pigs and take them off to the abattoir, or a Wednesday when we deliver pigs to restaurants like Bishop Sessa.
Matt Simmons from Melanda Park free range pork delivering a pig to Bishop Sessa
Can you tell us about your property?
The property is 115 acres on the edge of the Hawkesbury River just out of Windsor. It’s been an old family farm for almost 100 years, Sue’s grandfather used to grow oranges on the property. Sue and I now grow pigs and a few seasonal vege crops.
Do you think consumers are confused about what ‘free range’ means? What does free range pork mean to you?
The educated consumer is not confused, because they do the background work to find out were their pork comes from, it’s so important to do that work because you can’t trust labels and the Australian labelling laws.
Free Range to me and most of our customers means pigs live their entire lives out in the paddock and that paddock has a reasonable amount of pasture so the pigs can exhibit all their natural behaviours including grazing grass and rooting in the ground.
What’s different about Melanda Park pork? Can you tell us about where the Melanda Park pigs live and their role at the farm?
The main difference is that we don’t see the farm entirely as a pig farm, pigs are just one part of an integrated system that uses pigs to help control weeds and pests and fertilise the soil so we can grow better vegetable crops.
Melanda Park pigs shelter in sorghum
Around what age are the pigs processed?
Suckling pigs are slaughtered at 6 to 7 weeks and porkers are around 20 weeks or 70kg.
Can you tell us about the breed of pigs you keep?
We use a mix of breeds to build a sow that has good muscle composition with just the right amount of fat yet has the ability to live outside with all the natural instinct to look after her piglets.
What should the average consumer look out for when buying pork for home use?
Good colour, normal supermarket pork is too pale. If you’re looking for free range then know who the farmer is and ask lots of questions.
Is there a good time of year for pork?
Today good pork is available all year round.
Do you have a favourite pork dish, or a favourite pork dinner memory?
I’m a sucker for good sweet and sour pork.
If you’d like to meet Matt and Sue, they’re coming along to our Swine and Wine dinner on Thursday, 18 March 2013. Check out this menu!
Pork Dinner menu and wines
7:30pm, 18 April 2013
Pine geranium smoked pork leg, radishes, carrots, peas and mustard
A.Retief Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon 2011 Murrumbateman/Hilltops NSW
Stuffed pig trotters, scallop, onions, pickled plums and rooftop garden herbs
A.Retief Chardonnay 2011 Tumbarumba NSW
~ A.Retief Cabernet Rose 2012 Gundagai NSW ~
Pork loin and belly, heirloom beets, wild mushrooms, celeriac and apple
A.Retief Mataro 2025 Hilltops NSW
Piggy ‘pot au feu’ – Pig head cotechino, slow cooked pork scotch, rolled pig tail, lentils and chard
2025 Canberra Hilltops Cabernets
‘Bacon, Bacon, Bacon’ dessert – Lemon verbena parfait with salted caramel bacon, bacon praline and candied crackling
A.Retief Botrytis Grenache 2025 Hilltops NSW
$115 per person with matched wines. Bookings: 02 8065 7223