Let me take you on a little trip, through the narrow country lanes of mid Suffolk, to a shop that is almost good enough to eat.
Our destination: Emmett's of Peasenhall.
Although it was my first visit, plenty of esteemed foodies like Rick Stein, Delia Smith and the late Queen Mother, no less, have extolled the merits of the delicious hams and bacons available here. Whether it is black cure, mild cure, orange cure or Christmas cure - all the pork comes from pigs that are reared outdoors, on one of four local Suffolk farms, and cured in-house.
In fact, Emmett's have been curing hams and bacon on the premises for more than 200 years.
If you are not in the neighbourhood, don’t despair - the online shop will help you bring home the bacon with just a few clicks.
But ... be sure there is nothing to replicate the sensory delights of walking over the threshold of this quintessential English food shop.
The tasting table that greets you is set with delicious tapenades, aromatic olive oils and chutneys to spice up your life.
As we ventured further, we were in raptures over the giant 3kg slabs of chocolate - tasting it ensured a sensible small piece made it home - had to leave the mega slab for another time.
But ... bacon was what we had come for and our sampler packs of lardons, sweet cure bacon and Suffolk ham have convinced us that from now on, Emmett’s is our default bacon source. I challenge anyone to not taste the difference, whether it is in a quiche lorraine with lardons or a sourdough bacon sandwich (both of which I cooked for the family in the days that followed).
Be sure to allow time to sample the lunch menu on offer in Emmett's cafe - our Suffolk ploughman’s platter was delicious and introduced us to the heavenly date and lime pickle, from Sri Lanka no less. The enormous Emmett’s salad was bounteous and filled with every goody from the deli - ham, nectarine slices, olives, garlics, artichokes and fresh salad greens. (Good choice Alice and Astrid!)
My Favourite buys:
~ Bacon lardons for your quiches, macaroni carbonara and soups for starters
~ Date and lime pickle for adding spice and zest to any cold plate
~ Promise you will not leave without indulging yourself with a small large piece of chocolate - up to you whether you plump for dark, milk or ginger filled.
Meeting Mark Thomas, the passionate owner and bacon guru, at the end of our visit was a special treat. Next time he has promised to show us the smokehouse where all the curing and smoking action happens.
With Christmas on the horizon you can order hampers or sampler packs as delicious gifts to make yourself or someone else very happy. Or maybe drop a hint to someone close to you about your Christmas stocking this year!
