Who's telling porkies?

By Chloe Smith

- Published: 09 October, 2006

Claims that chefs at a Glasgow restaurant talk to pigs have been refuted by the restaurant's owner as "absolute rubbish".

Colin Clydesdale, who owns Stravaigin in Glasgow's west end, was surprised to see stories in the national press about the supposed flavour-boosting technique of chatting to pigs on the phone. But the truth was far less exciting.

A phone call had been made to one of the small-scale farmers asking when the piglets ordered for the restaurant would be ready. The farmer was out with the pigs and decided to let them speak for themselves, by putting his mobile phone to a pig's ear. The details of the conversation have not been revealed by Clydesdale but one can only assume it was not entirely amicable, as the pigs were due at the slaughterhouse that week.

This story does have a happy ending though, for the restaurant's patrons anyway. The pork, said Clydesdale, was "absolutely delicious".