Classic British Faggots Recipe

By
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 06/15/22
Tested by
Julia Hartbeck
Tested by Julia Hartbeck
Julia is a professional food photographer and stylist based in England. She loves nothing more than reading cookbooks cover-to-cover and traveling the world to sample international cuisines.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
British faggots served with peas

The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 80 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
775 Calories
47g Fat
27g Carbs
57g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 775
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 47g 61%
Saturated Fat 16g 82%
Cholesterol 247mg 82%
Sodium 1695mg 74%
Total Carbohydrate 27g 10%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 57g
Vitamin C 27mg 135%
Calcium 113mg 9%
Iron 8mg 47%
Potassium 801mg 17%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Faggots are an old-fashioned British food and one that has sadly fallen out of favor in recent years. How lovely that there is a revival of interest in this humble meat dish, possibly because they are so easy and cheap to make.

Traditionally, faggots are made from offal, usually pork, and from the bits of the animal that are generally discarded but now tend to just be the liver and possibly, the heart. 

Serve these delicious morsels with a bowl of light, fluffy, mashed potatoes,​ and gravy.

"Don't be put off by the lengthy ingredients list for this dish, because the process is very easy and actually comes together fairly quickly. I found it easier to mix the meat and breadcrumb mixture with my hands, rather than a spoon." —Julia Hartbeck

Classic British Faggots Recipe/Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces/110 grams pork shoulder, coarsely chopped

  • 4 ounces/110 grams pig's liver, coarsely chopped

  • 8 ounces/250 grams pork belly, coarsely chopped

  • 4 ounces/110 grams bacon, coarsely chopped

  • 4 ounces/110 grams breadcrumbs

  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground mace

  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

  • 2 medium fresh sage leaves, finely chopped

  • 1 small red chili, seeded and finely chopped

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste

  • 16 slices streaky bacon, or caul fat

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make traditional British faggots

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 445 F / 170 C / Gas 3. Mince the pork shoulder, pig's liver, pork belly, and chopped bacon in a meat grinder. Alternatively, pulse in a food processor until finely chopped. Do not overmix.

    Chopped meat in a mincer

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Place the minced meat into a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, onion, mace, allspice, parsley, sage, chili, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly.

    A large bowl of the minced meat mixed with breadcrumbs and seasonings

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Dampen your hands, divide and roll the minced meat mixture into 8 evenly-sized balls.

    A plate with eight balls of meat mixture

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Wrap each ball in two bacon slices, making sure it securely wraps the meat. It's OK to overlap the bacon.

    Meat balls wrapped with strips of bacon

  6. Place the faggots onto a large rimmed baking sheet.

    Bacon-wrapped balls on a baking sheet

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  7. Bake until a thermometer placed in the center of the meat registers 160 F, 50 to 60 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and serve immediately. If you are not ready to eat the faggots then wrap in foil and keep warm.

    Baked traditional British faggots on a baking sheet

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Tip


  • Traditionally, faggots are served hot from the oven with creamy mashed potatoes and peas, preferably mushy peas and lashings of rich, thick onion gravy.
  • Caul is the membrane that holds in animal organs and it makes a good container for the faggots. If you can't get caul, then use slices of bacon but if you ask your butcher, they may be able to find some for you.