Pork

Mild, slightly sweet and savoury.

Protein and one of the best food sources of thiamin (B1) — the vitamin that turns food into useable energy. A single pork chop covers most of a day's thiamin in one go.

Look for pale pink flesh and a fresh appearance.

Keep refrigerated and use promptly.

Roasts, chops, sausages, stir fries and slow cooked dishes.

Modern pork is bred so lean that overcooking it turns it dry and sawdusty in minutes. The old "cook it until it's white right through" rule was for a different pig, on a different farm, with a different parasite problem that hasn't been an issue in decades.

Food safety guidance everywhere now says pork is safe at 63C with a 3-minute rest, which leaves it faintly pink and juicy.

The fat is the flavour. Cheap supermarket pork from intensive systems has almost no intramuscular fat — that's why it tastes of nothing. Heritage breeds (Tamworth, Berkshire, Gloucestershire Old Spots, Duroc) have real marbling and real flavour. Costs more, eats like a different animal.

For crackling: the skin must be dry. Pat it bone-dry, score it, salt it, leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight. Damp skin doesn't crackle, it leathers.