Producer’s Corner: Anja Baak, Great Glen Charcuterie

It was a serendipitous encounter with a Dutchman who had bought a Scottish estate that led Anja Baak and her husband Jan Jacob to the Highlands. 

Having longed to leave city life behind for the calm of the countryside, the couple snatched the chance to manage Glenfintaig Estate. 

In 2000 they packed up their life and headed for Scotland and haven’t looked back since. 

‘We always had the desire to leave the busy Netherlands and move somewhere rural,’ Anja said. 

‘When Jan Jacob by chance met a Dutchman who had just bought this place in Scotland and offered him a job, he took it straight away. 

‘We had nothing to lose as there was a job and a house available.’

Part of Jan Jacob’s job was managing the deer population and Anja said they quickly fell in love with the delicious meat. 

Where the couple live now, they have escaped city life.

‘The price of venison was very low at that time, the meat was not as mainstream as it is now,’ she said. 

‘Not many people were eating venison and we wanted to add value and increase the shelf life so we could sell the products further afield. 

‘As there are no natural predators left, wild venison is a very sustainable and ethical food source. 

‘It is not only very healthy but the animals have had a great life, and it is very important in Scotland to keep the deer numbers to a sustainable level to help restore forests and woodlands. 

‘We always saw meat as a very important part of a diet and wild meat is the optimum choice.’

As a boy Jan Jacob loved the traditional dried sausages his mum bought from the local butchers and was keen to recreate the flavours with venison. 

They learned to smoke and cure the meat, a challenge at first as it’s so lean, but they were soon delighting friends with the finished result. 

They leased a derelict butcher shop in Roy Bridge and opened Great Glen Charcuterie in 2003. 

‘There is a tradition of making dried sausages in the Netherlands and we wanted to do this with venison, ’Anja said. 

Credit: Amanda Farnese Heath

‘Always full of new ideas, Jan Jacob soon started to experiment with the venison and built a wooden box in the garden to smoke the meat.

‘Friends and family loved our experiments and encouraged us to start a business

‘A friend owned an old derelict Butcher shop in Roy Bridge and we managed to get the lease.  

‘The building had been empty for many years and after kitting it out into a state of the art processing unit in 2003, Great Glen Charcuterie was born.

It was a bit of a challenge as venison is a very lean meat and does not contain much fat, but Jan Jacob worked out a recipe in the end.

‘Sourcing the deer from the surrounding estates has always been very important for us. We know the stalkers and estate workers who manage the wild deer population. 

‘The deer roam freely in the Scottish hills and feed on heather, wild plants and grass making venison a delicious healthy meat. 

‘It is low in fat, high in iron and a very sustainable meat source for the charcuterie products.’

Credit; Theodora van Duin

As eating game became more popular and people took more of an interest in sustainable meat, love for their products grew, including their most coveted green pepper venison salami which has won Three stars at The Great Taste Awards. 

‘Food has always been a very big part of our lives. We have always made meals from scratch, growing our own vegetables and keeping animals to eat,’ she said. 

‘We believe by telling the story of our products, our story and also stories from the Scottish Highlands we are playing a role in the awareness of wild game.  

‘Our green Pepper Venison salami is our most popular product. It is made with 100% wild venison which is very unique. Most venison salamis have added pork but ours is a real wild product.

‘Game has become more mainstream. When we started not many people ate game and a venison salami was a step too far for many people. We had to carve out a market for our products.’

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