Jan Jacob & Anja Baak

Food & Drink

Four hours after leaving the city and heading north, the scenery changes dramatically. We hit the rugged highlands of Scotland where the mountains rise and the valleys open, the green fields and trees surround us and the great lochs share our journey on the empty road north. In this vast and peaceful wilderness, we pass a number of deer roaming free, wandering through the various estates, grazing on the highland grass and heather.

Shortly after we spot the deer, we turn off the road and head up a stone drive, through a fairy glen bursting with blue bells to meet Anja and Jan Jacob Baak of Great Glen Charcuterie. The couple are originally from the Netherlands but back in 2000 Jan Jacob took a job as an estate manager near Spean Bridge. His job was varied on the estate but he soon became involved in the management of the wild deer population. As nobody actually owns the wild deer in Scotland, they are free to move around, but each year the different estates have a quota to manage the numbers and keep the deer population healthy.