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Restaurants back bacon
By Jonathan Prynn, Evening Standard 30.04.08
Brawn power: The Ivy is one of dozens of London restaurants joining the Save Our Bacon campaign
Scratching a living: farmers are said to be making a loss of £26 on each pig sold
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Top London restaurants are backing a campaign to save Britain's threatened pig farms by adding special pork dishes to their menus.
They include The Ivy, which is offering diners black pudding hash, Le Caprice (pork chops with sage butter) and the Grill at Brown's Hotel (bacon chop with asparagus and St George mushrooms.)
Chefs backing the Save Our Bacon campaign include Tom Aikens and Heston Blumenthal.
Tom's Kitchen in Chelsea is offering organic Duroc pork with savoy cabbage, chantenay carrots, grain mustard and cider. The Hinds Head Hotel in Bray, run by Blumenthal, has added pork collar with grain mustard mash to its menu.
Blumenthal said: “It's vital that we as restaurateurs unite behind British pig farmers at the difficult time. It is people like us that can really make a difference.” Pig farmers have been hit by cheap imports and rocketing feed prices — the price of wheat has risen by 84 per cent to £176 a tonne in the past year.
They are said to be making a loss of £26 on every pig sold and 95 per cent have said they are considering leaving the industry.
William Sitwell, editor of Waitrose Food Illustrated, which is backing the campaign, said: “It is very easy to help alleviate the situation and that is to buy British pork.
“You will pay 10p or so more a pack if you buy British pork but you know you are getting meat with the highest welfare standards. We are the only country that gives pigs a decent life.
“If you buy British pork you know it's been bred well and it tastes better.
“It can be used in so many ways — from ham sandwiches to slow-roasted belly of pork.”
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