Meat
Middle White
B tier
Middle White is a distinctive English pork breed with a short snout, dished face, and prick ears, developed in Yorkshire in the nineteenth century as an intermediate between Large White and Small White types. Compact and early maturing, it was bred specifically for high-quality fresh pork rather than long bacon sides, with fine bone and a neat carcass favoured by butchers and town markets. Culinary use highlights tender, mild, well-finished roasting joints, chops, and small pigs for special-occasion tables. The breed’s fortunes fell with industrial specialisation, but Japanese and British heritage interest kept Middle White genetics alive for premium pork with excellent crackling and delicate flavour.
Also known as: Middle White, Middle White
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Grading systems
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History
Joseph Tuley of Keighley exhibited an intermediate white pig that helped define the Middle White as distinct from Large and Small Whites.
The Middle White was formally recognised as a separate breed with its own herd-book identity in England.
Town butchers favoured Middle White for neat pork carcasses and early finish on mixed English farms.
Middle White genetics were established in Japan, where the breed later influenced quality pork programmes.
Lean bacon specialisation and Large White dominance reduced Middle White to a rare British breed.
Rare-breed and chef-led demand restored niche production of Middle White pork for roasting and fine butchery.