Food Festivals in Hampshire & Southsea 2026: Follow the Biltong! (You’ll Find Us There)

Food Festivals in Hampshire & Southsea 2026: Follow the Biltong! (You’ll Find Us There)

If there’s one thing we love at The Biltong Merchant, it’s getting out and about and meeting all our lovely biltong fans in person. This year we’ve got a brilliant line-up of food festivals, markets, and events across the South Coast to do exactly that - let's take a look...

Food Festivals in Hampshire & Southsea 2026: Follow the Biltong! (You’ll Find Us There)

Food Festivals in Hampshire & Southsea 2026: Follow the Biltong! (You’ll Find Us There)

If there’s one thing we love at The Biltong Merchant, it’s getting out and about and meeting all our lovely biltong fans in person. This year we’ve got a brilliant line-up of food festivals, markets, and events across the South Coast to do exactly that - let's take a look...

How to Slice Biltong Properly: Thickness, Angle, and Grain Explained

How to Slice Biltong Properly: Thickness, Angle, and Grain Explained

Slicing biltong might seem like a small detail, but it has a surprisingly big impact on how it tastes and feels. Let's have a quick look at the differences...

fresh, fatty biltong sliced on a branded The Biltong Merchant cutting board

The Role of Fat in Biltong: Flavour, Texture, and the Big Debate

Among biltong lovers, few topics spark as much discussion as fat. Some people insist that the best biltong has a generous ribbon of creamy fat running through it, while others prefer their slices as lean as possible.

So who’s right? Let's take a look ...

The Biltong Merchant listing on Hampshire Fare website with photos of biltong and the TBM logo

The Biltong Merchant Joins Hampshire Fare

The Biltong Merchant is proud to join Hampshire Fare, which is helping us connect with a wider community of local food and drink producers, while showcasing our delicious, traditionally made biltong to new audiences...

We’re Proud to Share Our 5-Star Food Hygiene Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

We’re Proud to Share Our 5-Star Food Hygiene Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

We’re proud to share that The Biltong Merchant has achieved a 5-Star Food Hygiene Rating. Discover why food hygiene matters, what the rating means, and how it reflects our commitment to food safety and quality...

The Biltong Merchant stall with logo

Southsea Food Festival: A Sell-Out For The Biltong Merchant

A Stand-Out Day at the Southsea Food Festival

From the very first hour, the energy was electric. Queues quickly formed around our stand — and they didn’t let up. At times, we had queues of three to six people deep...

From Farm to Food: Why UK Standards Matter | The Biltong Merchant

From Farm to Food: Why UK Standards Matter | The Biltong Merchant

The Biltong Merchant supports British farmers and high animal welfare standards. Discover why food quality, local sourcing, and responsible farming matter, as we take a look at why food standards and animal welfare are so important: for farmers, consumers, and the future of British food...

Five times when Biltong is the PERFECT snack!

Five times when Biltong is the PERFECT snack!

That’s not to say there are ONLY five times when biltong is the perfect snack. Biltong is the perfect snack at almost any time - obviously. But, this is where you can get an idea of the real versatility of biltong as a go-to meat snack for some of life’s interesting occasions. Let's take a closer look...
The Biltong Merchant logo with red, black & blue paint smudges for National Poetry Day poem October 2022

Celebrating National Poetry Day 2022 with a Poem about Biltong 😀

A six verse poem celebrating The Biltong Merchant on National Poetry Day 2022 describes fun info and how to buy biltong online at TBM - hope you enjoy it 😍...
photo of cows happily chewing on grass in a rural field with lake and trees. Grass Fed. Free Range. Well Bred. The Biltong Merchant website blog

WHAT IS THE BEST MEAT FOR BILTONG?

The best biltong producers really know their meat - and where it comes from. Biltong is made from pure, uncooked, and unprocessed beef, so it needs to be of the best quality. Premium biltong producers use silverside or topside cuts, as they’re most likely to be the most tender. And grass fed, well-reared cattle are at the heart of real, good quality biltong. Let's look a little deeper...
fresh cut biltong and dröewors on a table with a wooden bowl and The Biltong Merchant branded paper bags

Tips For Storing Biltong The Right Way

Biltong is an iconic South African product that is becoming increasingly popular around the world, including the UK. With some incredibly talented UK biltong makers and more shops selling a wide range of biltong products, it's important to store biltong the right way and we are here to help.
African animal scenes to show sources of biltong - giraff, elephant, kudu, ostrich & zebra

A Brief History of Biltong

The word “biltong” comes from an Afrikaans amalgamation of two Dutch words: “bil” translates as rump, buttock or hindquarter, while “tong” means strip, or tongue. So - the dictionary definition of biltong is: “lean meat which is salted and dried in strips”. 

However, biltong is much more than just strips of meat. Its story is woven into the history of humankind and illustrates our innate ability for survival under the toughest conditions. Here we take a quick look at its South African origins...

The Biltong Merchant Snack Packs of Traditional Biltong on a wooden board with biltong and spices

BILTONG: FRESH CUT Versus PRE-PACKED

Biltong freshly cut to order is the real South African way to eat it... Cut into tasty, thin bite-sized slices, and prepared to your exact preference: maybe rare, with a little fat (but not too much!), a lovely soft texture and mouth-watering taste…. Or - maybe that’s just us! I digress….

So - Freshly cut Biltong versus Pre-packed Biltong: which is best?