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By Delia Online editor Jo Hill

Currently, much of the bacon on sale in British supermarkets contains up to 10 per cent water, but new EU regulations are demanding that the maximum is just 5 per cent... Anything above this and it will have to be clearly stated on the pack.

The downside of the added water is that the bacon has so much less flavour. Traditionally, bacon is dry cured and cured for weeks, allowing the meat to take on much more flavour as its water content reduces.

Supermarkets, however, demand a faster turnover and are not generally prepared to pay more for bacon that's taken weeks to produce. So the pork is injected with brine then frozen before slicing. Hence the water content - and higher salt content which can have negative health implications too.

Make the most of bacon with Delia's recipes

 

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