Maker Β· Meat
Beemsterlant's Varken
Pork from the Beemsterpolder by the Van der Mark family. Animals raised on straw, fed on whey from cheesemaker Cono and grain from the region, within a supply chain they largely control themselves. Meat with natural fat distribution and minimal cooking loss.
The story
Who's behind it
Beemsterlant's Varken is run by the Van der Mark family in Middenbeemster, in the heart of the Beemsterpolder. Arie-Jan and Yvonne started the farm, and now their son Tim works alongside them. The farm is run entirely by the family, with approximately 220 breeding sows and around 900 pigs destined for meat. It's a closed operation: piglets are born and raised on the farm itself, so the animals spend their whole lives on one farm.
Around 2007 they chose to sell under their own name. Today, the vast majority of their pigs go through their own marketing channel to over 35 butchers, mainly in Amsterdam and the northern tip of North Holland. At Hobrederweg there's a viewing pen open seven days a week, all the way through to the farrowing house where you can watch the newborn piglets.
Feed and housing
The breeding sows are kept on straw. The feed comes as much as possible from the surrounding region: whey from dairy cooperative Cono, the cheesemaker of the Beemster, plus grain and straw from grain farmers in the area. The manure goes back to the same suppliers. This keeps a large part of the cycle within the polder. They use as little soy and antibiotics as possible.
The butchers who buy the meat keep naming the same things: good colour and flavour, natural fat distribution and little moisture loss during cooking. In the kitchen that means more meat left in the pan and a good handle on your cooking times.
In your kitchen
On the menu you can name the farm the meat comes from, how the animals are kept and what they eat. When a guest asks where it comes from, you have a concrete answer.
The fat distribution and low cooking loss make neck, belly and shoulder good cuts for slow cooking. Add the farm's own liver sausage and the whole pig can feature on your menu, from a small starter to a main course.
Chefβs tip
The meat has natural fat distribution and releases minimal moisture when seared. That makes neck and belly well suited to slow cooking: low and slow in the oven keeps the structure intact and the fat melts into the meat.
How to use it
Ideas for your menu
Neck, low and slow
Slow-cooked until the fat has melted through. Keep the seasoning simple.
Belly off the griddle
First cured, then slow-cooked and glazed. Crisp rind, tender meat underneath.
Pork chop on the bone
Sear hot and fast, then rest. Minimal cooking loss keeps the chop juicy.
Liver sausage on bread
Made in-house at the farm, spreadable and full of flavour. Works as an aperitif or lunch dish.
For your menu
βPork from the Van der Mark family, raised on straw in the Beemsterpolder and fed on whey from the region.β
Products from Beemsterlant's Varken
What we carry from this maker
Liver sausage
Made in-house from Beemsterlant's Varken, from Middenbeemster.
Pork cuts
Belly, neck, shoulder, chops and loin from across the supply chain.
Prices and availability are in the portal. Become a customer or log in to order.
Taste it in your own kitchen
Book a no-obligation tasting with Niels and taste it for yourself.