One of my favourite photographs in old food books appears in S. Minwel Tibbott’s fascinating book on the food of Wales, Welsh Fare. It shows a woman holding a sheet of caul fat, the delicate lace-like membrane that surrounds a pig’s internal organs.

To many modern cooks it looks strange, perhaps even unappetising. Yet for generations caul fat was a valuable ingredient. It wrapped sausages, protected joints of meat during roasting and, perhaps most famously, encased faggots.

Today, faggots are often misunderstood. The name raises eyebrows, in the UK they are a supermarket convenience food. But traditional faggots tell a different story. They belong to a world in which every part of the animal was valued, where liver and kidney were everyday foods, and where thrift and good eating went hand in hand.

For anyone interested in ancestral foods, faggots are a perfect example of nose-to-tail cooking. They transform humble ingredients into something nourishing, economical and deeply satisfying.

Faggot – A Dish Born of Economy

Historically, faggots were working people’s food.

They were made from the parts of the animal that wealthier households often ignored: liver, heart, lights (lungs), kidneys and fatty trimmings. Rather than being wasted, these cuts were minced together, seasoned generously and wrapped in caul fat before baking.

The result was far more delicious than the humble ingredients might suggest. The offal provided richness and nutrition, while the caul fat basted the meat as it cooked, creating a dish that was both economical and satisfying.

While traditionally, faggots relied heavily on offal, recipes these days include minced pork and bacon alongside liver and kidney, making them more approachable to modern tastes.

What Is Caul Fat?

One of the most distinctive features of faggots is the wrapping.

Caul fat is the thin membrane of fat that surrounds the stomach and internal organs of an animal. Pig caul fat is particularly delicate, resembling a lace curtain or net. Despite its fragile appearance, it is surprisingly strong.

When wrapped around a faggot, the caul fat performs several jobs. It holds the mixture together, just like a sausage casing would. As it cooks, it melts slowly into the meat, keeping it moist and adding flavour. By the end of cooking, you don’t even notice the caul fat, it has disappeared into the faggot itself.

Beef caul fat can also be used, but it is considerably thicker than pork caul fat.

Traditional Pork Faggots

This version combines pork mince, liver, kidney and bacon with mushrooms, onion, oats and warming spices. It includes an onion and mushroom-enhanced gravy, which is poured over the uncooked faggots in their baking dish before the whole thing is put in the oven.

• Makes: 12 faggots
• Preparation time: 40 minutes
• Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the Faggots

• 500g pork mince/ground pork
• 100g pig liver
• 1 pork kidney
• 4 rashers back bacon (if you are using streaky (American) bacon, use 6 rashers)
• 1 onion
• 150g mushrooms (about 6 medium mushrooms)
• c. ⅜ cup oatmeal (oatmeal is the English term for uncooked, stone-ground oats. If you can’t get this, you can use rolled oats that have been ground into a coarse flour.)
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• Ground mace, to taste
• Ground allspice, to taste
• Pig caul fat

For the Gravy

• 1 onion, chopped
• Mushrooms, chopped
• Stock (pork or chicken work best)
• Flour, for thickening (most often I use chickpea flour)

Method

1. Remember to, at the right time in your process, preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Roughly chop the liver, kidney, bacon, onion and mushrooms.
3. Place them in a food processor with the pork mince, oatmeal, salt, pepper, mace and allspice.
4. Pulse until everything is finely minced and evenly combined and a consistency that can be loosely shaped into balls. If your meat was previously-frozen you may need more oatmeal/oat flour to do this. (You can do steps 2 and 3 by hand if desired, cutting the ingredients up finely.)
5. Carefully unravel the caul fat, separating it into pieces large enough to wrap individual faggots, each at least 6 inches square.
6. Shape the mixture into balls roughly the size of large golf balls.
7. Place each ball onto a piece of caul fat and wrap it around the meat, tucking the ends underneath.
8. Arrange the wrapped faggots in a lidded baking dish with the tucked side facing down.

This mixture usually makes 12 faggots. If you find that you have mixture left over, you can, if you have enough caul fat, make more faggots or you can shape the mixture into burgers to fry. These taste really good!

To Make the Gravy (to be added to the baking dish)

1. Gently fry the chopped onion and mushrooms before adding the stock.
2. Thicken this mixture to make a gravy. I use chickpea flour, adding 2 rounded tbsp per 500mil stock. I make a paste with the flour, taking a little warm stock from the saucepan and stirring it into the flour before returning the paste to the saucepan and stirring the whole thing for 5-10 minutes while the flour cooks and thickens the liquid.
3. Pour the gravy around the faggots in the baking dish.

Put the lid (or foil) over the dish. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for about 40 minutes, until the faggots are cooked through and the gravy is bubbling.

Serve with greens and plenty of gravy.

Why Faggots Deserve a Place on the Modern Table

Faggots remind us of a way of eating that was once entirely normal.

Earlier generations understood that the most nutritious parts of an animal were often the least expensive. Offal wasn’t a specialist ingredient. It was simply food. Caul fat wasn’t discarded. It was valued for the flavour and practicality it brought to the kitchen.

Today many people are trying to eat more sustainably, make better use of the animals they buy and reconnect with traditional foods. Faggots embody all of those values. They are nourishing, economical and rooted in centuries of practical wisdom.

Most of all though, they are delicious. And making them this way, with pork mince/ground pork and bacon, with a rich gravy, you really do not notice that liver and kidney are hiding inside. THey are a great way to get kids eating offal!

Why Are They Called Faggots?

Historically, the word faggot referred to a bundle of sticks tied together for fuel. The term comes from the same root as the French fagot, meaning a bundle of twigs. By extension, the word was also used for anything gathered together into a compact bundle.

In culinary terms, the name makes perfect sense. A traditional faggot is a collection of minced meats and offal bound together into a ball and wrapped in caul fat. It is, quite literally, a bundle of ingredients tied together.

Food historians generally regard this as the origin of the dish’s name. Similar uses of the word can be found in historical English dialects, where faggot was used for various kinds of bundled materials.

While the word has acquired other meanings over time, the dish preserves the older and entirely innocent sense of the term. In the Black Country, South Wales and other areas where faggots remained popular, the name has continued in everyday use for generations.

In that respect, faggots are rather like haggis, pudding and other traditional foods whose names preserve traces of older ways of speaking and thinking. The dish is not simply a recipe; it is a small piece of cultural history that has survived on the dinner table long after much of the world that created it has disappeared.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do faggots taste like?

These faggots have a rich, savoury flavour something like pork meatballs. The liver provides depth, while the bacon, pork and spices soften its intensity. Even people who don’t usually enjoy liver are often surprised by how much they like faggots.

Can I make faggots without caul fat?

Yes, but the result will be different. Caul fat helps hold the faggots together and bastes them as they cook. Without it they can become drier and less tender. If you cannot find caul fat, you can still make the mixture into meatballs and bake it in the gravy.

Where can I buy caul fat?

A traditional butcher or your local farmer is your best source. You’ll probably need to ask for it specially and give them a bit of notice.

Can I freeze faggots?

Yes, I freeze them often – both before and after cooking. If freezing before cooking, place them on a tray until firm and then transfer them to a container or freezer bag.

Why are faggots wrapped in caul fat?

Historically, caul fat was an economical way of holding minced meat together before modern casings and packaging were widely available. It also improves flavour and texture by slowly melting into the meat during cooking.

What stock should I use in faggots?

I use home-made bone broth or meat stock. If you’d like to know more about how to go about producing this yourself, listen to Ancestral Kitchen Podcast episode Bones & Water: The Magic of Stock

Are faggots healthy?

Traditional faggots are nutrient-dense foods. Liver and kidney are rich in vitamins and minerals, while the oats add texture and help bind the mixture. As with many traditional foods, they are most satisfying when served as part of a balanced meal with vegetables.

Can I use different offal?

Absolutely. Historical recipes varied considerably. Heart, lights (lungs) and other inexpensive cuts were commonly used alongside liver. The exact ingredients often depended on what was available after slaughter.

Are faggots Welsh or English?

Both. Faggots are particularly associated with South Wales and the English Midlands, especially the Black Country. Closely related recipes appear across Britain, reflecting a widespread tradition of turning inexpensive cuts and offal into nourishing meals.

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