Joyce & Charles Ashbridge (mother and son) founded Taste Tradition on New Year’s Day 2004. Their success is testament to the increased value people place on animal welfare, traditional methods and high quality, beautifully tasting real produce.
Nestled at the top of Sutton Bank in the North York Moors National Park, the Ashbridge family has farmed at Cold Kirby for 3 generations. The traditional methods of breeding, rearing and finishing livestock used in our grandfather’s day are still evident in Charles’s protocols. The combination of outdoor rearing and the breeds is quite simply incredible taste - ‘the proof is in the pudding’ as they say.
A Rare Breed herd was chosen because these breeds: are well suited to our outdoor rearing system because they’re naturally more resilient than the modern commercial pig. Their status is higher as a result and they mature at a slower rate than commercial breeds. In addition to a carefully controlled diet of natural ingredients, the flavour of the meat is enhanced. We believe that ultimately, this is what people are looking for.
We are proud members of:
The Rare Breed Survival Trust
The Regional Food Group of Yorkshire & Humber and Deliciouslyorkshire
Ladies in Pigs
We supply:
Caterers
Private customers by secure online shopping or telephone
Restaurants
Butchers
Slaughter/cut/pack service for livestock keepers
Retailers
For all trade enquiries please click here.
Meet the Team
Charles Ashbridge (Managing Director) Charles has always had a great interest in livestock. He started breeding his own at the tender age of 6! After graduating from the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester in 2001, Charles worked for a meat procurement company that supplied a leading supermarket chain. It was during this period when he realised there was a gap in the market for quality pork, due to the intensive methods of finishing commercial pigs. After many months of research, Charles concluded that the finest pork products on the market were originating from rare breeds that were reared in a traditional manner. Thus, Taste Tradition’s rare breed herd was founded.
Joyce Ashbridge (Director) Joyce has been involved in agriculture all her life, growing up on a dairy farm just south of York and then marrying into a farming family in Cold Kirby. Her involvement in the production of livestock has resulted in her continuing search for quality meat and over the years, Joyce’s culinary skills have been finely tuned to bring out the very best in her finished product.
James Wright (Director) Three family generations in the meat and food industry have given James an in depth knowledge of the trade. After leaving college and qualifying for membership of the Institute of Meat, James decided to specialise in catering butchery and was fortunate to win ‘Catering Trade Meat Supplier of the Year’ at the York Festival of Food. Over the years, James has worked closely with many of the counties leading hotels and resaurants. This know-how compliments Charles and Joyce’s farming expertise and allows Taste Tradition to work to the very tight specifications required by today’s chefs.
