Making soap at home
The Country Smallholder|May 2023
Fiona and Hugh Osborne make their own soap from leaf fat to use every part of the animal
Making soap at home

When it comes to rearing animals we like to use “everything but the squeak”. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t some worthy goal, we simply can’t afford to be wasteful. Having said that, it’s amazing how often it’s possible to produce items from “waste” that are eco-friendly, money saving and higher quality than shop bought. Soap is a great example. Next time you are in the supermarket, take a look at the ingredients of the soap for sale. We’re prepared to bet that you can’t find any that isn’t made using palm oil. Using oil for soap that is made by clearing rain forest then transporting the oil around the globe seems ludicrous to us, especially when, in our opinion, far better soap can be made from animal fats.

MAKING LARD

Our friend Martha raises rare breed pigs (incredible high welfare pork, look online for The Decent Company). Martha tells us that many of her customers buying half a pig don’t want the leaf fat (dense fat from around the kidneys of a pig). We suspect much of this is because so few people render lard these days, but it’s simple to render leaf fat into snowy white lard that makes epic roast potatoes, incredible pastry and the best soap ever!

When we render lard all we do is to chop the leaf fat into small pieces and melt it very gently in a pan. Any bits of pork attached to the fat won’t melt so we filter the lard through a sieve and then through some muslin to get rid of them. When we learned about this we were scared the lard would cool and clog the cloth, but it doesn’t cool quickly enough for that to be a problem.

Denne historien er fra May 2023-utgaven av The Country Smallholder.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra May 2023-utgaven av The Country Smallholder.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

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How to Buy a Smallholding in France- Long-time smallholder Lorraine Turnbull looks at the practicalities of moving to rural France
The Country Smallholder

How to Buy a Smallholding in France- Long-time smallholder Lorraine Turnbull looks at the practicalities of moving to rural France

Aspiring smallholders are continually thwarted by the prices of smallholdings and property with land located within the UK. Even the humblest croft in Scotland comes with a substantial price tag and conditions which would make even an adventurous wannabee consider carefully. But all is not lost. For those willing to take the adventure of a lifetime, there is always Europe, and one of the most popular places is France.

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The Country Smallholder

Meet the Bournemouth goats and their supporters

These capricious animals are hard workers preserving the natural habitat

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Still warm enough to sit outside with a Pizza
The Country Smallholder

Still warm enough to sit outside with a Pizza

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Goodbye to the birds of spring and summer
The Country Smallholder

Goodbye to the birds of spring and summer

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Get ready for the colder weather in the warmth of late summer
The Country Smallholder

Get ready for the colder weather in the warmth of late summer

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The Country Smallholder

Preparing the Veg Patch for Winter

Lee Senior says, a well-run plot can excitingly continue to produce good quality, tasty, fresh food for much of winter

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Time to prepare to plant your orchard
The Country Smallholder

Time to prepare to plant your orchard

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Choosing feed for the autumn
The Country Smallholder

Choosing feed for the autumn

As autumn approaches, Joanna Palmer, nutritionist at the Smallholder Range, offers advice on choosing the right feed to support your adult birds through their annual moult and ensure your young birds grow and finish well at this time of the year.

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Vet advice from an experienced poultry vet
The Country Smallholder

Vet advice from an experienced poultry vet

Reflecting on how much the humble hen has helped people world wide plus advice on stopping the scourge of red mite

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Give your hens some support
The Country Smallholder

Give your hens some support

Paul Donovan looks at the right and wrong ways of handling birds

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