“Bacon makes everything better.” is one of our favourite sayings here at Feather & Bone. And it's not just bacon we love, we're also quite partial to its Italian cousin, pancetta. Bacon and pancetta are both made from pork bellies; the difference between them lies in how they’re prepared and cured. Pancetta is made by seasoning a pork belly side with salt and lots of pepper, curling it into a tight roll, and tieing or wrapping it in a casing to hold the shape. It’s cured, but it isn’t smoked.

Pancetta has particularly delicious fat, which can be rendered out with slow warming in a pan and used to flavour pasta, gnocchi, potatoes, even brussels sprouts! A fantastic starting point for carbonara, essential to puttanesca, if you're going Italian tonight, grab some pancetta. 

200g