The Rooting Pig charcuterie bar at Broad Arrow Farm is now inside the farm market for the winter, offering seating for up to 18. The menu includes new meal offerings making use of the farm’s whole animal butchering focus. (Elizabeth Walztoni photo)
Broad Arrow Farm and Market in Bristol has moved its charcuterie bar, The Rooting Pig, indoors for the winter following a successful opening season on the farm.
The Rooting Pig opened seating for 18 inside the farm market in the first week of December. Space is available first-come, first-served at bar seats and a communal table.
“We know what happens here in the winter with things closing,” said Anna Hymanson, the market manager, butcher, and business partner, “so this is something we can do for our community.”
The menu has also expanded with the move indoors, with hot meals joining the charcuterie offerings. Hymanson said the outdoor location did not have a stove, which limited options.
Heartier winter foods like braised dishes, stews, and sausages will bring a major change to the offerings. Beer on tap, wine, and hard cider complement meals.
Hymanson described the atmosphere as a comfortable spot for a cocktail hour or after-dinner snack in time to be home by 8 p.m. and in bed by nine.
The new indoor space of The Rooting Pig, Broad Arrow Farms charcuterie bar. The menu is informed by the season and available ingredients from the farm. (Elizabeth Walztoni photo)
The Rooting Pig’s menu expansion will also allow the butchers to meet their goal of whole animal butchering. Prepared meals provide a place for parts of the animal that don’t work as well for retail, from cuts like a picnic shoulder down to the ears, the skin, and the head.
According to Hymanson, pigs are a unique animal because almost every part of them can be eaten.
Menu items such as pig cheek puttanesca, pate, and head cheese make use of these resources that a home cook might not be familiar with.
“We start the week with a whole pig and at the end it’s all processed,” she said. “It’s a logic puzzle.”
Prices are lower as a result, she said. Along with pork, the menu will use some of the farm’s turkey and include vegetarian options. Weekly offerings will be informed by the season and the ingredients coming off the farm.
Hymanson said The Rooting Pig will likely evolve with community needs and response. The farm’s hope for the space is an “intimate hangout” joined in the future by pop-ups and special events.
“We’ve been scheming and dreaming for a long time,” Hymanson said.
The Rooting Pig, at 33 Benner Road in Bristol, will be open from 4-7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday through the winter, with the market open during its hours. For more information or to view the current menu, go to broadarrowfarm.com/pages/the-rooting-pig or find Broad Arrow Farm on social media.
