A buyer’s guide to British charcuterie

Twenty years ago there was no British charcuterie worth eating outside a handful of farms in the West Country. Today there are roughly 80 producers, and the best are competitive with anything coming out of Parma or the Pyrenees. Here’s a short field guide to choosing.

For sliced cured meats — coppa, lonza, fennel salami — look for fat marbling and a slight bloom on the surface. The rind should not be slimy. Six-month minimum cure on whole-muscle cuts; the salamis should have firmed up enough that they’re not bendy.

For whole salami, ask the producer where the pigs are from. The best British charcuterie is made from rare-breed outdoor-reared pigs — Saddleback, Tamworth, Gloucester Old Spot. Industrial pork lacks the intramuscular fat that makes a salami sing. If the answer is vague, the meat probably came from Holland.

For pâté, the only thing that matters is whether they used liver from the same animal as the meat. "Pâté" using imported liver from elsewhere doesn’t taste of the farm even if the rest does.

What to do with it once it’s home. Slice as little as you’ll eat in 48 hours; the rest stays in the fridge wrapped in greaseproof paper, never plastic. A board with three different cured meats, a hard cheese, a bowl of pickled walnuts and a loaf of sourdough is a complete meal for four.