Houghton Hams

Houghton Hams A family run business, producing award-winning meat products with the best British and EU pork since 1983 šŸ– Find us in Ocado, Aldi, Waitrose, Booker and more!

We’re a family run food production business in Northampton, UK, where we were established in 1983 by Nigel Wagstaff. We produce award-winning meat products with the best British and EU pork, supplying the catering and retail sector. Our story is one that stretches more than 40 years, and four generations of family, which all started with Nigel’s Uncle Don. Don worked in farming his whole life and

he inherited Grove Farm in Moulton – a village in Northampton – in the 1970s following the sad passing of his employer. It was during this time that Don introduced Nigel to the farming life, with Nigel working on the land and rearing the animals on the weekends. During the week he’d then help his father in the local butcher’s shop, delivering his rounds on a push bike. Sadly, Don sold Grove Farm in the 90s to pursue his love of farming in Devon, but he left a lasting impression on Nigel. Fast forward to 1983: Following redundancy, Nigel with the support of his wife Jo, took a leap of faith and started the family business. It was then that Houghton Hams was born. With Nigel’s experience in both farming and butchery, and the acquisition of their secret recipe ā€˜the Wagstaff complete cure’, the business produced artisan hams and gammons, operating in a small unit in the village. Always selecting the best regional UK and European based farms, we have continued to produce excellent quality meat products for 40 years, meeting the strictest welfare and industry standards, and winning several awards along the way. Today, our business still operates from Moulton, in a premises that is 10 times the size of our original home. We remain under the careful management of the Wagstaff family, with Nigel and Jo leading the business alongside their four children – Paul, Linda, Julie and Sarah – and with 60+ employees making up the extended Houghton Hams family. We still manufacture using same secret recipe, with family and passion at the heart of everything we do.

The made without nitrites space is one we’ve been in since 2019, when we launched a bacon range šŸ„“The ham range has taken...
10/08/2026

The made without nitrites space is one we’ve been in since 2019, when we launched a bacon range šŸ„“

The ham range has taken longer.

That’s down to the level of focus we were able to give the product, and the pace of demand from retailers and consumers.

The conversations around alternative, made without nitrite options have increased dramatically over the last 18 months, though.

And, in that time, we’ve worked consistently hard on our made without nitrites ham at HQ.

We then launched the product with BoothsCountry and Ocado last month, and early numbers show it’s been well received.

As a family, we’re very proud to see the product launch with two respected retailers, giving more balance to our range and offering, aligning with whichever route our customers want to take.

The factory paused for the afternoon last week, and HQ headed to the pub ā˜€ļøNigel, Jo and Paul were there, along with the...
05/08/2026

The factory paused for the afternoon last week, and HQ headed to the pub ā˜€ļø

Nigel, Jo and Paul were there, along with the wider family and staff team, all taking a break from the usual pace to sit down for a summer get-together.

Drinks and food were on us, a small thank you away from the factory floor. The hygiene team couldn’t join us, so we had pizzas delivered to them back at site instead.

A huge thank you to all of our staff - our longevity and success wouldn’t be possible without everyone’s hard work at HQ šŸ™Œ

03/08/2026

From 20 slices of ham a minute, to 600+ slices šŸ‘Œ

We’ve evolved our ham slicing process over the last 43 years, but the care and craft behind how our ham is made remains the same.

AndĀ we still retain our heritage, with some of our traditional hams still being cut on hand slicers - just as our co-founder Jo did back in the 80s.

ā€œBest supermarket hamā€ 🄹Our ham is real ham, but it comes with off the shelf convenience - available in selected superma...
30/07/2026

ā€œBest supermarket hamā€ 🄹

Our ham is real ham, but it comes with off the shelf convenience - available in selected supermarkets, including Ocado.

Which is where this customer review was left šŸ™Œ

Our biggest growth over the past 12 months has been a Red Tractor ham launch into the retail space.But it’s a product we...
27/07/2026

Our biggest growth over the past 12 months has been a Red Tractor ham launch into the retail space.

But it’s a product we’ve been producing since 2012 - first produced for the London Olympics.

We proudly supplied all hospitality and media areas at the Olympics with British ham and bacon.

And, to be a supplier, you had to be Red Tractor certified through the BMPA scheme - so that’s what we did 🚜

The Red Tractor certification places much more focus on the technical compliance of our manufacturing - the brines, the curing times, the visual appearance and more.

It moved us and our operation forward, making us retail ready, and set a lot of the fundamentals we carry to this day, including into our recent successful retail launches.

24/07/2026

Seeing our products on shelf for the first time never gets old.

So we took a trip to ! šŸ™Œ

Our made without nitrites ham is now on shelf in all 25 stores across the North West of England.

We were honoured to be at the recent Bidfood UK charity fundraiser - and what a day it was šŸ‘Held at The Belfry, the fund...
22/07/2026

We were honoured to be at the recent Bidfood UK charity fundraiser - and what a day it was šŸ‘

Held at The Belfry, the fundraising event was in aid of two very worthwhile causes, Cure Leukaemia and Springboard.

You could hear a pin drop when guest speaker Adam Claxton shared his own experience with leukaemia in an honest and inspiring way, and it was reflective of the whole event.

A fantastic atmosphere, amazing causes, a beautiful setting - and we enjoyed it as a family, with Paul, Julie, Linda, Sarah and Joe in attendance.

What are some of the realities of running a family business? Our Director of Operations Paul Wagstaff joined Chris Wrigh...
20/07/2026

What are some of the realities of running a family business?

Our Director of Operations Paul Wagstaff joined Chris Wright on the Talent Unboxed podcast to discuss šŸŽ™ļø

The two spoke about our growth over the years; successes, challenges, and how we've tried to scale without losing what made things work in the first place.

If you want to learn more about our story, from Paul's 27 years in the business, you can watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/1oDO7xy9iCk?si=6X79jRkyX4_OgAHf

Have you ever visited a J D Wetherspoon pub and enjoyed a meal featuring ham, on one of the iconic blue flowery plates? ...
16/07/2026

Have you ever visited a J D Wetherspoon pub and enjoyed a meal featuring ham, on one of the iconic blue flowery plates? šŸ˜

If your answer is yes, there’s a good chance you’ve tried our product.

We’ve been supplying Wetherspoon with Wiltshire ham since 2020.

Our ham features in the pub classic Ham, Egg and Chips; the Eggs Benedict, in the Wiltshire Cured Ham & Cheddar Cheese Panini, and on pizzas.

We deliver over seven million slices of traditional Wiltshire ham to Wetherspoon every year, produced at our HQ in Northampton using an authentic curing process.

And it’s a partnership we’re proud of šŸ¤

13/07/2026

Proper British ham, but made without nitrites šŸ‘Œ

From our family to yours, delivered straight to your front door with !

Address

58-68 Tenter Road
Northampton
NN36AX

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+441604644247

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Houghton Hams posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Houghton Hams:

Shortcuts

Share