The Ginger Pig

"Smoked streaky bacon “It wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that, pre-pandemic, the foxes going through the neighbour’s bins ate better-quality meals at home than my housemate and I. It’s not that we’re incapable (he is) but we’re just out people more than we’re in people. Both these things soon changed, and so too did the contents of our fridge. What it suddenly had, and continues to have most often, is smoked streaky bacon from The Ginger Pig. Their bacon - thick but not too thick, with a rind that gets your molars working - isn’t run-of-the-mill stuff. Its smell is siren-like, its price reasonable, and the first time we ate it (standing, next to the frying pan, in underwear) we said something poignant like “fuck me this bacon good.” - JM" - oliver feldman, heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, rianne shlebak

"Pork and stilton sausage roll - £4 London isn’t lacking in the sausage roll department, nor even gourmet sausage roll department, but The Ginger Pig’s stilton-laced unit stands above the rest flavour-wise. The pork is juicy, its flavour very much present, while the stilton acts as a deliciously pungent seasoning. Ketchup, for us, is non-negotiable." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, rianne shlebak

"Everyone’s favourite bougie butcher makes bits and bobs for its bakery in the traditional style, because — it says — historically, pastry was a way of making meat go further (see also: Yorkshire puddings). They do sausage rolls and hot pies, but the picnic pies are where it’s at. The ingredients in this one are layered up a treat inside a hot water crust, with jelly made the old-fashioned way with pigs’ trotters." - Laura Goodman, James Hansen

"Best known for homemade black pudding, scotch eggs, and lovely yellow corn-fed French chickens that cost the same as a round of puddle-flavoured and kookily-named IPAs, The Ginger Pig is one of London’s best butchers. It’s got locations in north, east, and west London - though if you’re looking for things to eat there and then, the Borough Market spot is likely your best bet. Otherwise what you’ve got is, quite simply, a very good butcher. Their smoky streaked bacon and ever-changing sausages (look out for the spicy Italian) are excellent, as are the pork pies." - Jake Missing

"The sausage rolls from the Ginger Pig are irresistible. The pastry is buttery and flaky, the sausage herby and rich."