MARION SAUVEBOIS talks to the man behind the meat taking the region by storm

THAT cheeky bacon bap on your commute, yesterday’s side order of crispy rashers at the local greasy spoon and even the pack you threw casually in your trolley at the farm shop next door– you may not be familiar with Wiltshire Bacon Company, by name anyway, but chances are if you’ve tucked in a few strips of dry-cured pork lately, you are definitely acquainted with its juicy meats.

As virtually unknown from the public as it is sought-after by huge firms like East Midlands Trains, corner cafes, gourmet stores and small town butchers – not least K & EJ Crump in Wottoon Bassett - all the way down to Cornwall, Wiltshire Bacon is a key player in the meat game in the South West.

With a weekly output totting up nine tonnes, it is hardly surprising.

It is here, there and everywhere now, or so it seems, but when humble butcher Chris Taylor began curing his own cuts of meat to stock up his shop five years ago, he never intended his bacon to travel beyond Trowbridge.

“For many years we were frustrated at not finding a decent bacon supplier,” says Chris, who owned Trowbridge family butchers Taylor Made for 20 years. “You’d think it would be easy but no. It had to be British and local. But either it was astronomical artisan product or cheap and poor quality. So we started experimenting ourselves in the back of the shop – it took us about two years to get it right. Once we did, it sold really well.”

Overwhelmed by demand from fellow butchers equally fed up with the cheapjack alternative passed off as the real thing by manufacturers, he ramped up production of his traditionally cured bacon. Before long he was knee-deep in bacon orders – with swathes of new discerning customers queuing up for chemical-free meat. Two years ago he moved the operation to its current headquarters and factory in nearby Hilperton.

“I was not nervous as such but I was cautious and I still am – going from retailer to manufacturer is a massive challenge.”

The industrial method for making bacon cuts production time down drastically by injecting fresh pork with brine. This turns the meat into cheap, fatty, bacon in as little as two hours. Industrial bacon is easily recognisable by the white sludge that oozes the instant it hits the pan.

Chris’s dry-curing method is poles apart from supermarkets’ zippy approach and takes significantly longer for optimum results and to achieve a pronounced flavour.

The pigs used by Wiltshire Bacon are bred and slaughtered locally. The meat is trimmed on arrival. A salt mixture is then massaged into the cuts to draw moisture out. The entire process takes 21 days.

“It’s an art,” says Chris, turning serious– he is nothing if not passionate about his trade. “You can learn to a certain degree but then you have to experiment with different cures and techniques. And it takes time to do it properly.

“The industry has changed so much. The skill has really gone from the bacon most people eat. Supermarkets can produce much cheaper bacon than we can and quickly so we have to focus on quality. As a food industry, it’s almost as though we’re not proud enough of our meat. We need to fly the flag for British meat; we’ve lost an awful lot of our identity. From how you source the pigs to the cure of the bacon it has to be right – perfection is what we’re looking for.”

Unlike many of his generation, Chris, originally from the Midlands, does not descend from a long line of butchers. Even more surprising - though the 47-year-old begs to differ - he set his sights on the trade at 17 because, in his own words, it seemed the perfect fit for someone with a knack for science and good head for numbers.

“In school you shine in some subjects and mine were science and figures and I wanted to carry on in that direction,” he insists. “I started my apprenticeship and spent five days in the shop and one day at college every week. You learnt virtually everything about the business side of it, food safety, and animal care. It has a lot to do with science.

“Maybe I was crazy to go into this; it’s hard work but there’s an awful lot of pride that goes into the job. And you only get one chance with customers. If they aren’t satisfied they don’t come back.”

The fledgling manufacturer’s efforts to bring tasty bacon back to our dinner tables and restore our beloved breakfast rolls to their ancestral glory have paid off. The tender rashers have caught the attention of industry judges and collected a string of awards since 2013 including Taste of the West three years running. Wiltshire Bacon also scooped Bacon Connoisseurs Week Gold and Great Bacon Revolution Awards Gold in 2013 and 2014.

A self-proclaimed “natural butcher” always up for some friendly banter with customers, he held out as long as possible juggling heading up an expanding factory with the day-to-day running of Taylor Made. But, in January, he was forced close the shop in the centre of Trowbridge to concentrate on Wiltshire Bacon.

Never one for the nine-to-five grind, retiring to an office and chipping away at mounds of order lists after years in the fray took some adjusting.

Thankfully, he has concocted a nifty plan - and legitimate excuse - to escape paperwork for a few hours a day. In a few weeks, the Hilperton factory will launch its very own shop.

“I hate admin,” he booms. “I really miss having a shop – preparing the meat and dealing with the public, the fun and banter,” he laughs. “When it opens I’ll be there in a heartbeat. That’s what it’s about talking to people, delivering the meat to the customer.”

The firm is weeks away from launching a new e-commerce site, www.wiltsthirebacon.com, for businesses and local customers.

To find out more go to the Wiltshire Bacon Company Facebook page.