The parable of the Loaves and the Fishes is familiar to most - how the 5000 were fed with just five loaves and two fish; enough being left over to fill 12 baskets.
A similar tale is told in the Ancient Lore of the Swine except that, being 'of the earth', the story told for generations around wallow and sleeping hollows features loaves and roots.
Which may go a little way to explaining the curious sight of piles of these foodstuffs around RectoryReserve over the past few weeks.
The constant increases in feed prices had been causing the Big Boss's brow to furrow more than normally:
"For everyone to have even a little, it would take more than 200 silver coins" (ib.) he had been heard muttering to Mangal over the fence one evening.
And then he had a flash of brilliance (sometimes also known as Common Sense) --- or maybe Mangal muttered something earthy back. Whichever..... within a matter of days a way of lessening the burden on The Big Purse was established. Henceforth, the Porcine Herd shall dine on the fruits of the earth - sourced from a nearby organic farm. Sometimes Parsnips, sometimes potatoes and, in their season, fresh brassicas will replace up to 50% of their proprietory feed.
Mangal and The Boss know a thing or two for all the herd are most satisfied with this arrangement, roots being just the thing pigs most love rootling for.
Morphic resonance then kicked in: a friendly farmer from the village delivered a large load of sugar beet. How these were relished! And then again: Plum the Keeper rang The Big Boss 'out of the blue' one afternoon:-
"Could you use a few loaves of Bread d'ye think?"
It transpired that one of Gunner's putative wives' owners, who works for a well respected local bakery, was (thanks to a cancelled contract) looking for a 'home' for 600 redundant loaves........
Now, if there is one thing Pigs truly relish it is Bread. Harking back to The Ancient Lore of the Swine...... "Happy the Pig who finds bread before his snout...........". Happy pigs indeed.
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