English Bacon. Premium quality, incredible tasting, Wicks Manor bacon. With a supply chain that is 100% traceable, you can 100% trust Wicks Manor's premium quality, incredible tasting pork.
Delicious, high-quality and succulent bacon that has been recognised as one of Britain's best.
Dry cured by hand and smoked over beechwood chippings (for smoked versions), this Wicks Manor bacon has a truly delicious, succulent flavour. The back bacon includes meat from the loin of the pork and a bit of pork belly in the same cut, while streaky bacon uses just belly pork.
Raw english bacon, 250g,sliced. Frozen.
Smoked: Pork, Salt, Demerara Sugar, Preservatives (Potassium Nitrate, Sodium Nitrite), Acidity Regulator (Sodium Bicarbonate), Antioxidant (Sodium Ascorbate).
Nitrates/nitrites
We have really tried to educate ourselves about nitrates and nitrites but are by no means experts, therefore, we deferred to our supplier for their expertise. The information that our supplier has provided us with is that nitrates and nitrites are the key ingredients in cured products, including ours, and you cannot make bacon/ham without them. These are usually salt based and are required to drive water out of meat by osmosis to prevent bacterial growth, which allows it to remain safe to eat much longer than raw, unprocessed pork. Our bodies actually naturally produce much higher levels of nitrates than can be found in food and the main health concerns relating to nitrates/nitrites in bacon/ham relate to their possible reaction under certain conditions with amines to form nitrosamines.
You may sometimes see bacon or sausages that say ‘no added or nitrate/nitrate free’ - these are made using vegetable-based nitrates and often have more nitrates than products made using salt-based nitrates. This is due to the naturally high level of nitrates found in the vegetables used in this process, such as celery. This reaction to form nitrosamines is the same regardless of the original source of the nitrates/nitrites.
In addition, this nitrosamine formation risk is not just limited to cured meat products. It is also present in beer, some cheeses, non-fat dry milk and sometimes fish. However, nitrosamine formation in cured meats is easily inhibited, and many producers practice this method, with the simple addition of ascorbic acid, which is just vitamin C.
A precaution that you can make is to ensure that you cook your bacon on a lower heat, as nitrosamines are also formed during high-heat cooking methods, such as grilling or high-temperature frying. This may mean that your bacon will take a bit longer to crisp but will reduce the nitrosamine formation in your food.
About the producer
Wicks Manor, England
Wicks Manor, a family farm in Essex, England, has 50+ years experience raising pigs. I love visiting and seeing piglets playing in large straw pens, giving mum outside space for a break. The pigs mature naturally, with home grown nutritional feed free of nasties and plenty of clean water. Sheltered from nature's harsher elements, but with room to roam and play outside, the piglets’ quality of life is carefully managed. This care ensures Wicks Manor products develop a beautiful depth of flavour.