Sophie Farrah chats to Le Swine founder James Packman about his famous bacon rolls...
“Britain’s best bacon butty” is a big claim, but it’s one of the many accolades that Le Swine has garnered over the years, and now, its legendary sandwiches are coming to South West London. Founder James Packman, 37, lives in East Sheen with his wife and their two-year-old daughter.
His porcine eureka moment came in 2009 when working as a chef in a top London restaurant under legendary French chef Bruno Loubet.
“Bruno is a magician with food. One day, he was pouring bacon fat into butter, making homemade buns for bacon rolls. I took one bite, and it changed everything,” James recalls. “Bruno told me, ‘Imagine showing everyone how good a bacon sandwich can be’, and I loved the idea. A bacon sandwich has so much nostalgia to it. It’s a national treasure.”
James set about creating his own version, with his dad, Tony, and Bruno on board as business partners. Bruno’s original milk and caramelised onion bun recipe is still used by Le Swine today; James then adds homemade bacon butter, rashers of carefully sourced bacon, and a dollop of homemade ‘red’ or ‘brown’ sauce.
“Everything is important – the bacon, the buns, the butter, the sauce."
"We use old-fashioned middle bacon, which is both back and streaky, so you get the best of both worlds. There’s no flavouring, no-nonsense, just a beautiful, clean, porky flavour. We add a tiny touch of fresh sage, that’s it. “Our red sauce is a chipotle ketchup – it’s not spicy but has a depth of flavour. It contains no refined sugar as it’s sweetened with dates and cooked slowly with many spices. Our brown is a mushroom ketchup made from roast onions and mushrooms.”
With his tasty formula ready to go, James bought a 1969 Morris ambulance at auction, converted it into a food truck (with help from Tony), and hit the road.
Le Swine became an instant hit on the festival circuit and soon had permanent spots at Liverpool Street and Spitalfields markets. Covid saw the launch of Le Swine’s make-at home kits, which have sold over 25,000 to date.
Re-emerging from the pandemic and itching to get back behind the grill, James opened a pop-up at East Sheen deli and food shop, Culver + Nelson. And now he’s opening his first bricks-and-mortar Le Swine in East Sheen.
He insists that it’s not a restaurant or café but a ‘caff’, inspired by his love for the traditional British institution and its timeless appeal. “I want to keep things simple. Great cups of tea in proper mugs, speciality coffee, bloody marys... it’ll be a buzzing neighbourhood caff that you look forward to going to – where you know people in there, the team all feel part of it, and the quality is consistent.”
All the classic Le Swine breakfast sandwiches will be on offer, and for non-meat eaters, there’s a delicious egg sandwich oozing with American cheese, as well as homemade granola and yoghurt. The full English has also been given the Le Swine treatment.
“We’ve got some brilliant suppliers – I know a sausage nut and a guy that makes amazing black pudding. We’re also working on a veggie version with vegan white pudding. We’ll pull it together to make a beautiful British fry up.”
Lunch will include juicy burgers, bavette with confit garlic butter and homemade beef dripping fries, a vegan (or veggie) aubergine lasagne made with confit onions, deep-fried aubergine, fresh salsa verde, homemade chilli oil, and more. Desserts range from a simple steamed pudding with custard to some devilish deep-fried eclairs dipped in chocolate and piped with clotted cream custard.
“The love we put into the bacon sandwich, we’re going to put into all the other dishes, too. Nothing will be an afterthought.”
Le Swine is open now at 170 Upper Richmond Road SW14 8AW for all-day breakfast and lunch seven days a week. It can also be hired for supper clubs and private events; leswine.co.uk.
