A former Waitrose meat counter worker has succeeded in getting his premium pork crackling range listed nationally by the retailer.

Thomas Lock worked at the Waitrose store in Tonbridge for two and a half years while studying. He left the retailer in 2009 and went on to develop the Awfully Posh business - a range of pork crackling that is fried twice in small batches, which Lock claimed made the product lighter and crispier than other pork scratching products.

“It was that Waitrose job that inspired me to create a pork crackling using high-quality meat and good-quality salt,” said 22-year-old Lock.

“I have been chipping away at them over the past 12 months to get the listing.”

Awfully Posh will launch into 194 Waitrose stores on 22 October and will be stocked in the free-from aisle, as the pork crackling range is naturally gluten free. It will be available in two flavours - Anglesey Sea Salt and Scorchingly Hot Chilli (rsp: 89p/40g) - and will initially launch with a third-off price promotion.

“We only use pork and sea salt so it’s gluten, wheat and dairy free,” explained Lock. “Other suppliers may add rusk, which is dried wheat that acts as a flavouring and a bulker, or they’ll add milk powder and other yeast extracts.”

Awfully Posh was initially sold by Lock through local pubs but went on to secure retail listings with Harvey Nichols, Amazon, Harrods and Cook, and is distributed to independent stores through Cotswold Fayre.

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