Meat
Oxford Sandy and Black
B tier
Oxford Sandy and Black is a traditional English pig from Oxfordshire, known for a sandy to rust base coat with black blotches and lop ears. Medium to large framed, hardy, and maternal, it thrives outdoors and produces dual-purpose pork and bacon with good flavour and balanced fat without extreme leanness. Culinary use covers roasting joints, chops, sausages, bacon, and charcuterie from free-range systems. Nearly lost in the twentieth century, the breed was reconstructed from remaining stock and is now a rare-breed favourite for farm shops and heritage pork that combines attractive colouring with reliable eating quality.
Also known as: Oxford Sandy and Black, OSB
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History
Sandy-and-black spotted pigs were kept in the Oxfordshire countryside as a hardy local farm type.
Regional selection fixed the sandy base with black patches that define the modern Oxford Sandy and Black appearance.
The breed supplied mixed farms with versatile pork and bacon before industrial white lines dominated markets.
Numbers collapsed under commercial specialisation; the breed approached extinction in pure form.
Enthusiasts recovered and re-established Oxford Sandy and Black from scarce remaining animals and related stock.
Breed society work and free-range marketing returned OSB pork to farm shops, butchers, and rare-breed menus.