Perfick! Perfick!

If you have watched ‘The Darling Buds Of May’ – or better yet, actually read H E Bates wonderful stories, you will know that Pa Larkin is extremely fond of good food –and prone to declaring his wife's wondrous meals as “Perfick! Perfick!”. I confess that when I am reading these books, I actual salivate more than Pavlov’s dogs, Bates’ descriptions of food are brilliant mouth-watering morsels.

So it is incumbent upon me, I feel, to share with you details of some 'perfick’ food which is not fictional. It’s from the great Norfolk firm of Perfick Pork, ‘the biggest little butchers in Norfolk’

Only a stones’ throw from Cornerstones, this is a wonderful shop. Check out their website. We came across their sausages on sale on Fakenham Market a couple of years ago.

This year, we just had to take Jon, the family pork expert, along to the shop. The staff are so knowledgeable and helpful. We purchased meat for the family barbecue at Adrian’s, bacon to bring home to KM, and Jon bought pork to take back and cure his own bacon in SE17. Not only that, but he was even give a free sample of ‘some of Grandfather’s Secret Recipe Cure’ to take back and try out!

What sets PP apart from supermarkets and other butchers are the ethics and principles behind the produce they supply. They operate a "conception to consumption" pork business; raising their pigs from birth on their own farmland employing talented farmers with considerable experience. They breed Duroc pigs, widely regarded as one of the finest breeds on the market, specifically selected due to the increased fat distribution through the meat. During cooking, the marbling within the pork melts and diffuses though the meat providing an unbelievable flavour and texture.

Often these ‘artisanal producers’ tend to be extremely expensive – but we were very impressed with their prices. Yes, you can buy ‘Tesco Market Value’ bacon at  a fraction of the price- but there is absolutely no comparison in terms of texture, flavour, and ‘cookability’ – and just one rasher of PP bacon, along with a free range egg tastes so good, I find that to be quite adequate for my breakfast. PPs prices per kilo are actually cheaper than the equivalent ‘premium’ supermarket products. And I am confident that the animals were well cared for. As well as pork, the shop also stocks chicken, beef and lamb from other local producers. Perfick Pork are not paying me for this recommendation – but I think their products deserve promotion.

“Everything in a pig is good. What ingratitude has permitted his name to become a term of opprobrium?”

Grimod de la Reyniere [1758-1838]