Mount Grace Charcuterie: The best bacon you can buy

Years ago, when I started at Field & Flower, James gave me quite a simple goal— make everything we sell as delicious as you can possibly find it in these British Isles. Granted, it was a broad remit, but my life's purpose is to find the most genuinely delicious, emotive and evocative foodstuffs in the world. It was, and still is, a privilege to take on.

I always say that the animals do most of the work in producing our incredible products, which is absolutely true. But passing meat through the reverent hands of our makers and butchers makes the most of the animals we buy, bringing the best qualities of the meat to the fore, and showing off the best of traditional breeds and agroecological farming. 

This bacon blew my mind. The fat was so creamy and soft, I cooked it in a cold pan like a duck breast, all of my focus on rendering the fat slowly, knowing the meat will look after itself. It didn't shrink, it didn't shrivel, it fried like a steak, and the flavour was transcendental. A mixture of oak and beech gives a rich smoke that’s balanced with sweetness. A thicker cut made it more luxurious, and the fat was so delicious that I jarred what had rendered into the pan and found excuses to sneak it into every meal I had that week— potatoes cooked off in smoked bacon fat are as delicious as they sound.