Excellence in Food and Drink Awards 2007
Category: Meat, Game, Poultry and Fish
Winner: Southover Food Company Cooked Smoked Back Bacon
A versatile product such as bacon can find many uses on a menu at various times of the day, but there are issues such as preparation time and cross-contamination risks.
Southover's Cooked Smoked Back Bacon is a solution to such pressures experienced by caterers.
Supplied in 1kg packs at a cost of about 18p per slice, the cooked bacon is positioned as a cost-effective alternative to raw bacon for premises where space and facilities are at a premium. The meat needs only a short burst in the microwave before serving. It is sourced from free-range pigs in England and traditionally oak-smoked at the dedicated company plant in East Sussex.
Everything about the product appealed to the judges, from its versatility and ease of use - or as one judge put it, "Simply put it on a hotplate and it's ready to go" - to its great flavour, which reminded one judge of "how bacon used to taste", and texture which another judge thought was "almost like steamed ham".
Shortlisted
Brakes Duck Leg Confit