Description
THE PORK
This box is built around the shoulder — the hardest working muscle on the pig, and the most rewarding to cook. Fat runs through it in all the right places, the connective tissue breaks down with time and heat into something rich and silky, and the flavour it produces is deeper than any leaner cut can manage. Ours comes from quality British pigs raised to high welfare standards, prepared by our own butchers on site at Grasmere. Every cut in this box comes from that same well-farmed, well-handled animal — and the difference shows up in the pan.
THE CUTS
Rolled Shoulder of Pork — 1kg
The shoulder is the natural home of slow cooking. More fat, more connective tissue — and of course, more flavour. Give it time and it rewards you handsomely.
Low and slow is the way: 150°C for 4–5 hours until the meat collapses and the fat has rendered all the way through. Pull it apart with two forks and you have the best pulled pork you’ll eat outside of a proper barbecue pit. Alternatively, slow cooker on low for 8 hours with a splash of cider, a couple of onions, and a bay leaf — walk away and come back to something extraordinary.
It also works beautifully as a more traditional Sunday roast at higher temperatures — the fat keeps it basted throughout and it’s very hard to overcook.
Diced Pork — 425g
This is the cut for a proper pork and cider casserole, a slow-cooked Hungarian goulash, or a Thai-inspired coconut curry with fish sauce and lime. It also works beautifully in a slow cooker — throw it in with stock, root vegetables, and herbs in the morning and it’s ready when you get home.
Allow roughly 1.5–2 hours in a low oven at 160°C for a braise, or 6–8 hours on low in a slow cooker.
Pork Mince — 500g
Surely the most versatile cut in the box — pork mince is one of the most underrated ingredients in the fridge. With a good level of fat to aid with the cooking, it’s a fantastic alternative to beef or lamb in many dishes.
Use it as the base of a proper Bolognese — pork mince makes a richer, sweeter sauce than beef alone, and mixing the two is a trick used by Italian cooks who know what they’re doing. Try it in homemade meatballs with fennel seeds and chilli, stuffed into peppers with rice and herbs, or simply fried with garlic, ginger, and soy for a fast noodle dish that takes fifteen minutes.
Pork Belly Slices — 400g
Fat, flavourful, and criminally underrated as a weeknight cut. Belly slices cook quickly compared to a whole belly joint — no long slow roast required unless you want one.
For a fast midweek meal: season with salt, pepper, and a little Chinese five spice, and fry in a hot pan for 4–5 minutes each side until the fat is rendered and the edges are beginning to caramelise. Rest for a few minutes and serve with rice and something sharp — pickled cucumber, a dash of rice vinegar — to cut through the richness. In the air fryer at 200°C for 15–18 minutes they come out extraordinarily crisp. On the barbecue, marinated overnight in soy, honey, garlic, and ginger, they are one of the best things you can cook outdoors.
Pork Shoulder Steaks — 425g
These steaks have more fat running through them than a loin steak — which means more flavour and a far more forgiving cook. They won’t dry out if you give them an extra minute in the pan, and they’re thick enough to take a proper crust on the outside while staying juicy inside.
Season well and fry in a hot pan with a knob of butter for 4–5 minutes each side. Rest for 5 minutes. Serve with mashed potato and apple sauce for a straightforward midweek meal that feels more considered than the effort involved. They also work well braised low and slow in the oven with onions, cider, and a little mustard — 160°C for 2 hours, loosely covered, until the meat is tender and the sauce has reduced around it.
STORAGE & DELIVERY
Delivered fresh in chilled packaging. Keep refrigerated and use within the use-by date on the packets, or freeze on arrival.
