Mervyn has sizzler start to the day

“I am afraid I was more interested in my pigs than in my homework. I really loved rearing and fattening them” he said.

That was more than 30 years ago. He’s a third generation farmer at Glenhordial, near Omagh, on land the family has owned since moving there from Donegal back in the forties.

Today he has 2,000 pigs and a successful business producing of bacon and ham.

His bacon is highly rated for its taste with the traditional Ulster Fry at breakfast. It’s now to be found at upwards of 50 delis and farm shops across Northern Ireland and also in the Taste of Ulster shop at Belfast International Airport.

It’s hardly surprising that supermarkets here and in the Republic are now knocking on his door for the bacon.

He explained: “I’d certainly be keen on supplying a supermarket prepared to showcase artisan foods and ready to accept that smaller producers need a decent margin to sustain their business.

“What helps to set my bacon apart is my unique dry-curing technique.

“It’s my own recipe from my experience of rearing my own pigs. I also slice, prepare and package the bacon. This means the entire process is under my control, ensuring consistent quality and provenance.

“I decided to concentrate on dry-curing because I wanted to develop different products that didn’t involve pumping the bacon with water and preservatives.

“Some bacon on the market today is 25 per cent water.

“My bacon is cured for between seven and nine days using my recipe which also takes into account current health concerns particularly about salt and sugar.

“The bacon is cured in as near to the traditional way as possible, using the minimum amount of cure, which leaves the bacon less salty. The result is a tasty product that allows the pan/ grill to stay clean.

“And with no water added the bacon tastes as it should, savoury, yummy and moreish particularly at breakfast. I believe that it really is bacon at its best.”