Good Morning Readers,

Ok so I have given it thought over the last few days of how to incorporate these products on my Cheese related blog so here we go! Now first I have created a new random food category to put these posts into called ‘A slice of cheese short of a truckle’ which derives from ‘A few slices short of a loaf’. Its a term in which somebody is not quite all there or struggles to be competent, it also is used to describe weird & wacky situations as well. Hence the use of it as a category label because my blog is depicting a product not related to cheese so my blog Is acting like its ‘A slice of cheese short of a truckle’.

A few days ago I received a full range of all of Mr Trotters products which is the brainchild of Tom Parker Bowles (Food Writer), Matthew Fort ( BBC2 Great British Menu Judge) & Rupert Ponsonby (Cotswold Farmer). I had met a representative of Mr Trotters at the Food & Drink Expo 2014 and handed the lady my blog business card. Expecting not to be sent anything as it hardly relates to cheese, it was quite the opposite! I received a parcel full of every product they produce apart from the ale! Now I very rarely eat pork crackling or proper potato crisps as I usually aim to eat healthier versions during the day. I’m not saying I don’t eat them at all because who can’t resist a good piece of crackling Sunday lunch or the crunch of a good crisp at snack time.

A history of the Mr Trotter’s is taken from (http://www.mrtrotter.com/history.html) as they can explain it better than anybody else how it came about:

“A history of Mr Trotter’s

Mr Trotter was born from the shared passion of three pork scratching aficionados – Tom Parker Bowles, Matthew Fort and Rupert Ponsonby – and innovative pork scratching producer, Graham Jebb from
RayGray Snacks.

Over a few pints in 2009 Tom and Matthew started ruminating about the possibility of creating a superior scratching – one that was made more of pork than salt and fat, that used British pigs rather than Danish pigs, and that didn’t fizz with curious seasonings. They shared their ruminations with Rupert, pig farmer, beer devotee and scratching enthusiast.

Following a ground-breaking dinner at which scratchings of various origins were served in a number of imaginative forms and matched to a range of beers, Rupert, Tom and Matthew decided to take their findings into the world of pork scratchings to another level.

In the course of their investigations, they met Graham who agreed that the crackling market was lacking a superior brand. They joined forces and set about creating Mr Trotter’s Great British Pork Crackling.”

The product range is extremely focussed on bringing the absolute best quality to the related sectors in the marketplace. Below is the range with descriptions of them again taken from (http://www.mrtrotter.com/shop.html) as they are the best people to describe it to you.

“Mr Trotter’s Range

Mr Trotter’s Great British Pork Crackling
Mr Trotters crackling is a high end product made from 100% prime British pork skin from only the finest British out-door bred pigs.

Mr Trotters is a lighter crackling with an aeriated appearance and crisp texture to deliver maximum crunch.

Now available in two great flavours – Original and Jalapeno Chili

Mr Trotters Original pork crackling is specially seasoned with the finest blend of natural ingredients, including sea salt, with no added MSG, to give you a flavour to savour. Mr Trotter travelled far and wide to look for new flavours to show off his porky perfection. That’s why he teamed up with the jalapeño from Mexico, a medium hot chilli with a verdantly sharp bite – also free of added MSG. When it comes to the crunch it’s just got to be Mr Trotters – they’re Dangerously Good!!

Mr Trotter’s Proper Potato Crisps

Made from top grade local potatoes, sliced with their skins on for fuller flavour and cooked in award winning rapeseed oil before being seasoned with a sprinkling of Mr Trotters Original seasoning (no added MSG). 

Mr Trotter’s co-founder Matthew Fort comments:

“We know it’s a crowded market, so it’s got to be a cracking crisp to stand out.  That’s what Mr Trotter stands for, and that’s what we’ve got – a gloriously crisp crisp, a potently crunchy crisp, a seductively amber-gold crisp, a crisp packed with potato flavour, with  just a touch of Mr Trotter’s own Original Seasoning for very good measure.”

“There’s so much flavour in the potato’s skin we decided to fry it with the skin still on. It gives Mr Trotter’s Proper Potato Crisp proper potato power,’ says Tom Parker Bowles.
Mr Trotters Great British Chestnut Ale

Beer and crackling make the best of matches so its natural for Mr Trotter to brew his own very special ale – one of the first chestnut beers ever to be brewed and bottled in the UK. 

Blending chestnuts with sweet Maris Otter barley has produced the happy harmony for which Mr Trotter was looking. The Chestnuts give a nutty creaminess to the brew, a honied note to balance the clean bitterness of the English Cascade and Bramling Cross hops.

Style – born to satisfy – rich, smooth, moreish
Taste – luxurious chestnut and sourdough, with gentle hop spicing, smooth and honeyed.
ABV – 4%

Mr Trotter’s Great British Chestnut Ale – the perfect accompaniment to a bag of Mr Trotter’s snacks.”

The reception for these products have been extremely good with them being used in Mini-bar’s at The Groucho Club, Claridges’s Hotel, Cheltenham’s Ellenborough Park Hotel and others. They started being sold in Selfridge’s but have expanded to Harvey Nichols, Fortnum & Masons, Booths Supermarkets, Chatsworth & Daylesford. So as you can see they have a particularly prestigious retail life and are now listed in 500 outlets around Britain, accessibility is key for a new product on the market and as such you can get hold of in physical locations quite easily but even easier at http://www.mrtrotter.com/shop.html.

So I have introduced their history, their products and now their taste…

Now I will keep this brief as I realise this is turning into quite a pig… sorry big post 🙂

A piece of gourmet eating in your own home!

I followed the instructions to heat the crackling first in the oven and it tastes like it has just been cooked by a chef. The original is salty, meaty and crunchy with perfect seasoning but the Jalapeno chilli certainly makes your palate dance around with flavour. I have to say that not everyone would like the Jalapeno chilli as it is quite warm but if your looking for something different for an with an aperitif before a meal then look no further.

I tried the potato crisps and they have to be the most flavoursome crisps I have ever eaten again these could be served with the ale and they would match superbly.

In short they are beautifully made and flavoured and most be tried for them to get the full justice they deserve. I don’t think I have ever tried a snack range that packs so much flavour, care and attention to detail than Mr Trotter’s.

The link to the shop again is http://www.mrtrotter.com/shop.html or if you glance at a packet while your out & about pick some up and it will change the way you view crackling & crisps in the future.

Jon