Daniel Tailleur and his wife Mireille are present every Thursday and Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the ham farm to welcome customers.
Rodolphe Martin
▶️ The Bayonne Ham Fair on video!
The 561st edition of the Ham Fair takes place under the marquees of the cured meat makers but especially in the streets of small and large Bayonne. This Saturday lunchtime, the restaurateurs were often full, even if attendance for the first two days seemed to be down slightly.
From birth to plate
Daniel is a breeder at heart. A breeder close to his animals. He hugs a trembling pink piglet against him: “The little one was just born a few hours ago! »
On January 1, 1983, Daniel took over the family farm and set up a “sow birthing workshop”. He developed his activity over the years. In 1998, he took a step forward and moved into free-range pig fattening. Little by little, he set up a processing workshop and personally worked on his products. Finally, in 2005, he opened his store “La Ferme aux Jambons” and began direct sales. Since then, Daniel and Mireille have been inventing their own recipes, which they are constantly improving.
Rodolphe Martin
Happy event, this piglet was just born a few hours ago.
At Daniel, everything is homemade, from A to Z please. “Pigs are born here. We are cow-calf breeders. It’s pretty rare to take care of everything like that. It takes time. » In the midst of the cackling of the chickens, the curious piglets approach the intrigued visitors. In their enclosure, a piece of polystyrene protects the little ones from the cold during the first months of their life. In the enclosure next door, the more robust model above is soon preparing to enter the open air. In total, the breeders have 40 trout and several batches of free-range pigs.
On the family farm, the piglets are fed without GMOs. The cold cuts are made without colorings, artificial preservatives, nitrites, or chemical additives. Daniel is formal. “The goal is to have non-standardized cold meats, processed according to the rules of the art. » A transmission of values coming straight from his parents. And a winning formula: this know-how was awarded for the 5e time at the Bayonne Ham Fair.
3rd best Bayonne ham
In his career, Daniel won the prize for best Bayonne ham in 2006, then three times the “brotherhood prize” for Bayonne ham in 2018, 2019 and 2022. This year, during the 2024 fair at the beginning of April last year, he was awarded the “prize for the 3rd best ham in Bayonne”. During the event, the jury probes, tastes the product, defines which has the best appearance and the best aroma. “Our hams are worked one by one, with a precise weight of seasoning, the right dosage, the right drying… It’s surely this artisanal side that appeals,” analyzes Daniel
Rodolphe Martin
The hams are salted, dried and seasoned one by one. A guarantee of quality awarded at the Bayonne ham fair.
The editorial team advises you
Under glass, the sacrosanct winning ham proudly sits in the shop: “It’s nice, it means that we have consistency in the quality of our products which are appreciated, perhaps even recognized. » If Daniel does not participate in the ham fair every year, he is still tempted to return in 2025: “We are always well received in the Basque Country, so why not! »
And what do we eat?
The couple manufactures directly on site at the farm, delivers, and welcomes customers on Thursdays and Fridays from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. And there is something for everyone. Products derived from charcuterie such as ham, sausage, or chorisson. As for fresh produce: sausages, chipolatas, pork chops, or even preserved foods: pâtés, black pudding, and others.
Rodolphe Martin
Birth, growth, cooking, preserving, curing… just one rule: everything is homemade!
Every 15 days, La Ferme aux Jambons is present at the Morlàas market on Friday morning, in addition to Saturday morning at the same place. For Daniel, the human scale of the company is important: “We favor quality over quantity. I am also the mayor of the village, I have 5 children, some of them are still young… In terms of work, there is plenty to do! »
Key dates
1964: Daniel Tailleur was born on the family farm in Gerderest.
1983: he moved into the family farm and started a cow-calving workshop.
1998: in addition to the farrowing workshop, he began fattening free-range pigs in the open air.
2005: Daniel and Mireille, his wife, launch into direct sales and open a store.
2006: Daniel wins the prize for best ham at the Bayonne ham fair.
