Rootling – A Celebration of Knepp Tamworth Pork

A special Pork Feast at Knepp Wilding Kitchen
Thursday 21 May 2026

The arrival of the Tamworths, and their rootling – turning over clods of turf with their snouts in search of roots, rhizomes, earthworms and other vertebrate – sparked an ecological revolution at Knepp.

The pigs’ disturbance resulted in numerous trophic surprises. Rootling exposes bare soil, allowing pioneer plants like sallow (hybridised willow) to colonise – the food source of the purple emperor butterfly. Before rewilding there were no purple emperors on Knepp. Now we have the largest breeding population in the UK. The bare soil further allowed ‘weed’ species to establish, chickweed, scarlet pimpernel, vetchlings, common fumitory, knotgrass & red fescue – food source of the critically endangered turtle dove. Neither of these were by design, but a result of the philosophy of putting nature back in the driving seat. It is thanks to our Tamworths that Knepp is the only place in the country where turtle dove numbers are increasing.

Tamworths are an old breed, renowned for their hardiness and prized for their marbling and distinctive nutty flavour. Their diet of acorns over winter creates their distinctive, and complex, sweet, nutty flavour not too dissimilar to the pigs that produce the famed Spanish Jamón.

The Wilding Kitchen was started to celebrate these stories, the role these animals have in shaping our landscape, and the role we play, ultimately, as the stand-in predators. The menu is designed to showcase the very best of Knepp Tamworth, with a balanced first course of sharing plates – some pork, some fresh salads from the garden – using our nose to tail ethos, whilst the mains offer a variety of cuts, techniques and options to choose from.

We hope that you’ll help us celebrate these truly amazing animals, and the miraculous part they play at Knepp.

The menu is designed to celebrate the entire animal and showcase a wide range of cooking techniques. The first course will be a variety of small sharing plates, balanced with fresh salads from our market garden, for each guest. Guests will then be invited to choose both a main and dessert.

An optional drinks pairing will run alongside our menu, featuring crisp organic ciders as well as balanced wines.