Bacon lovers unite

Photo: © childsdesign

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How wonderful would it be if the internet had the power to transmit aromas? If it did, we’d be uploading the olfactory delight of sizzling bacon to accompany the picture.

This week is Bacon Connoisseurs Week, but why only be a connoisseur for just one week of the year? Devoted lovers of bacon will tell you that it is something they could not live without. Bacon at its best brings back memories whether it’s the holiday breakfast cooked in a dented frying pan, atop a Calor gas stove on a windy British beach or simply lazy Sunday mornings. Bacon is a satisfier of appetite, a comfort, a restorative – some would say, a hangover cure.

Whatever your relationship with bacon, choose the best and buy British at the very least.
Bacon on The Artisan Food Trail is a real step up in terms of quality, craft, animal welfare and above all, flavour. This special flavour is what you get from rare breed pigs that have led a happy, natural life. A pig’s life outdoors which allows it to root around and run about in the fresh air, added to its particular breed, produces full flavoured meat with the all important fat. Remember fat equals flavour.

The rare breeds on the food trail include British Saddleback, Tamworth, Iron Age, Gloucester Old Spot, Large Black and English Lop, Middle White, and Oxford Sandy & Black. Not all of these breeds go into making bacon but the pork is just as wonderful, so well worth a try.

The following producers all rear pigs for pork, some produce bacon and other pork charcuterie products as well as pies and sausages.

Samphire in Norfolk has bacon in either smoked or unsmoked, available in various cuts. Pork, sausages and pork pies too.

Paganum Produce in the Yorkshire Dales create their own dry-cured streaky or back bacon as well as pork charcuterie including their famous Yorkshire Chorizo and of course the best home-reared pork.

Pilkington Farms in Hertfordshire cross-breed rare breeds to produce pork which has just the right amount of fat and flavour that their customers prefer.

Orchard View Farm in Buckinghamshire produces smoked streaky or back bacon as well as their award winning pork along with pies, sausages and ham.

Yorkshire Chorizo

Chorizo is probably one of the most versatile pieces of charcuterie to have at hand in the kitchen. The rich meaty sausage is flavoured with smoked paprika which gives a deep red colour and great depth of flavour. It can be eaten just as it is as a snack – sliced or in a sandwich – and can be used in cooking to bring a distinctive flavour to variety of dishes.

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We were impressed by the quality of the Yorkshire Chorizo and have awarded both varieties our Artisan Food Trail Approved badge.

For more information about Paganum Produce visit the producer page on The Artisan Food Trail here
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Choice Cuts: Paganum Produce

Paganum Produce is a small artisan butchery and charcuterie based at Church End Farm near Malham in the Yorkshire Dales.

With five generations of butchery, curing and farming experience supplying a traditional product range increasing a range of traditional meats, sausages, dry cured bacon and charcuterie with the benefit of an online shop and direct-to-door delivery.

The Name
“Paganum” is Latin for “Rural Tradition” and was chosen because rural tradition is something that they are passionate about. Traditional methods of farming for slower grown, happier animals. Traditional and rare breeds able to thrive in the outdoor life of the Yorkshire Dales. Traditional ways of hanging, preparing and cutting meat for a fuller flavour. And traditional standards of service where every customer counts.

History
The company is now headed by Chris Wildman and butchery runs deep in his family, the original butchers shop was opened in Bentham, Yorkshire in the mid 1800s by John Wildman (Great Great Grandfather), previously it existed as an on-farm butchery and following his death in 1894 the shop passed through a succession of Wildmans.

Provenance and Preparation
All meat and gourmet produce is fully traceable to family farms and small artisan firms in the Yorkshire Dales.

Sourcing locally means that all farmers and producers are known personally. They've all been chosen by Paganum for their commitment to animal welfare, sustainable agriculture and conservation.

All produce is British giving full confidence in that it's been produced here, not just packed here. They can absolutely guarantee that all fresh beef and lamb is fully traceable to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

Special cuts can be provided as well as advice on the best type of meat for a particular recipe and how to cook whichever joint you choose. It's all down to preparation, hanging and cutting. Beef is hung for a minimum of 21 days, to ensure maximum taste and tenderness.

Yorkshire Chorizo
Paganum is also home to the Yorkshire Chorizo, a fully cured sausage using British pork and made in Yorkshire, of course.

Visit Paganum Produce on The Artisan Food Trail here