The best ham hock, leek & potato gratin
Processing
–
Not recorded
A gap in the source, not a sign it is unprocessed
Additives listed
1
1 we grade moderate or higher
Counted from the label, not by quantity
Fat per 100g
6.70g
Medium
UK FSA front of pack threshold
Three separate readings, kept apart on purpose. This is not a score, and none of it says this product is harmful.
Additives (1)
This label lists 1 preservative.
E250
Sodium nitrite
Preservative and colour fixer, cured meats
What it is. A curing salt that keeps cured and processed meats pink and stops the growth of the bacteria behind botulism.
Why it is used. Used in bacon, ham, salami and hot dogs for preservation, safety and colour.
What the evidence says. The concern is not the additive in isolation but processed meat as a whole, which the WHO's cancer agency IARC classes as Group 1, meaning there is sufficient evidence it causes colorectal cancer. Nitrite can form nitrosamines during curing and cooking, and those are the likely culprit. Risk rises with how much processed meat you eat over time.
Permitted with strict maximum levels. The EU cut the allowed limits further from 2023 to reduce nitrosamine formation.
Assessed against IARC, EFSA, UK FSA. Full entry for E250
Ingredients
Potato, milk, beechwood smoked ham hock (15%) (pork (92%), water, salt, preservative (sodium nitrite)), leek (8%), water, mature cheddar cheese (milk), double cream (milk), rapeseed oil, cornflour, wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), butter (milk), salt, black mustard seed, spices, spirit vinegar, parsley, yeast, olive oil.
As printed on the pack, in the producer's own order: ingredients are listed by weight, so what comes first is most of what is in it. E numbers link to their assessment where we have one.