* It was a really fun experience and working with the pigs was enjoyed by all involved. The British Lop variety is a nice friendly breed and the pigs were very easy to handle.
* We produced some fat, happy pigs with an emphasis on the 'fat'. We were probably too generous with the food and some of our joints had more fat than meat. Less food near the end and slaughtering them earlier would have sorted this out.
* Nothwithstanding the above comment, the taste of the meat and sausages was as good as we had hoped for. And the crackling on a roasted joint was probably the best we've ever crunched our way through.
* The team worked well together: all took their responsibilities seriously but with the right attitude. No pettiness, no preciousness and plenty of laughs.
* Seven families in the team was a good number as it made allocation of duties easy - one set day each but with some flexibility when other things (holidays etc) cropped up.
* The abattoir we used was as humane as it could be and we were very pleased with the send-off they got.
* Our hog roast was universally acclaimed to be a great success.
So, what happens next? Easy question to answer: we'll be doing it again, taking on board what we gleaned from our experiences in 2014, and the weaners come in next week. Not sure we can make a piggy giggle but we will definitely give them a happy time between then and our plates.
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