Houghton Hams

Houghton Hams A family run business, producing award-winning meat products with the best British and EU pork since 1983 🐖 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 ‘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.

27/08/2026

It’s non-stop in a factory that produces 60+ million slices of ham per year 💨

We don't forget about our product once it leaves HQ - we buy it ourselves, and taste it in pubs, restaurants and cafes 😋...
24/08/2026

We don't forget about our product once it leaves HQ - we buy it ourselves, and taste it in pubs, restaurants and cafes 😋

Nigel, Joe, Diana, Meliza, Lana and Hayley recently popped to our local Wetherspoon to sample some of our ham.

We’ve proudly supplied Wetherspoon with Wiltshire ham since 2020, on those iconic blue flowery plates, in the Ham, Egg and Chips, the Eggs Benedict, the Wiltshire Cured Ham & Cheddar Cheese Panini, and on the pizzas.

Over seven million slices a year, all produced at our HQ in Northampton 📍

Our organic smoked back bacon, made without nitrates or nitrites, has won two stars at the Great Taste Awards 2026 ⭐️⭐️I...
20/08/2026

Our organic smoked back bacon, made without nitrates or nitrites, has won two stars at the Great Taste Awards 2026 ⭐️⭐️

It’s produced in partnership with Helen Browning's Organic, using higher welfare pork and a curing process built specifically around removing those additives.

Great Taste judges taste every product blind, without packaging or backstory, so two stars comes down to the quality of the pork, how it’s cured and how it’s smoked - giving it that award-winning flavour.

17/08/2026

Headphones on 🎧 Album of choice:

Now That’s What I Call Proper Ham.

14/08/2026

Ham caesar salad, for when it’s too hot to cook.

Featuring our new made without nitrites ham 👌

Our founder Nigel Wagstaff is launching his biography and album with an evening at the Royal & Derngate in Northampton.H...
12/08/2026

Our founder Nigel Wagstaff is launching his biography and album with an evening at the Royal & Derngate in Northampton.

Hosted by John Griff, and with performances from local drama students, the evening will be an insight into Waggy’s life.

Featuring stories from sport, family and Houghton Hams over the years.

Join us for an evening of reflection, inspiration and laughter - tickets are available here: https://royalandderngate.co.uk/whats-on/an-evening-with-nigel-wagstaff/

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

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 ☀️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 ☀️

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 🙌

03/08/2026

From 20 slices of ham a minute, to 600+ slices 👌

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.

And 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.

“Best supermarket ham” 🥹Our ham is real ham, but it comes with off the shelf convenience - available in selected superma...
30/07/2026

“Best supermarket ham” 🥹

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 🙌

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

Website

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