High demand for Graham’s snacks

Inside the entrance to Graham Simmons’ Walsall factory is a letter from a soldier in Iraq, begging him for help.

“I am writing to you to see if you can help me out,” wrote the 24-year-old lance corporal from Featherstone.

“My dad sent me out a parcel, which included some of your very tasty pork scratchings and they went down very well amongst the section as they make a very welcome break from rations.

“Would it be possible for you to send us out some more of your pork scratchings as they brighten up our long hot sandy days and take our minds of this unbearable heat and hot bottles of water?

“They would also bring us a little closer to the Midlands, instead of this God-forsaken country.”

Graham, whose factory is in Newfield Close, Walsall, was only too happy to help out.

He said: “After that letter, I posted out two-and-a-half kilos of pork scratchings to Iraq and the post office didn’t charge me because it was for our troops.

“So I sent them another six parcels – I’m just glad it made them feel happier and reminded them of their home.”

Other letters, pleading for pork scratching deliveries, include one from America and a note from Australia which reads: “When I lived in Wolverhampton I used to buy pork scratchings from G Simmons & Sons. I absolutely loved them and miss them desperately. How can I get some of your scratchings before I go insane?”

Graham, aged 64, started making pork scratchings when he worked as a butcher at 37 Lower Lichfield Street in Willenhall.

“I started working for butcher Jack Bentley before I left school as I rode the carrier bike from the age of 13,” he said.

“In those days the butchers did their own cooked meats such as ham, pressed tongue and pork scratchings. At that time the pork scratchings were just a by-product from the lard making process.

“But now lard isn’t used by many people and scratchings are the main thing people want because they go really well with a pint of beer.

“Jack retired 35 years ago and I took over the business but even in those days shops, such as butchers and grocers, were starting to struggle as supermarkets became more popular. My father was a greengrocer and his business was going downhill faster than the butchers.

“So 30 years ago I started to make a few scratchings to get a bit more money coming in, only around 10 pounds in weight a week,” he added.

“Now we make 2,000 pounds in weight a week.”

Fourteen years ago Graham had a visit from Walsall environment officers who told him he had to move from the shop in Lower Lichfield Street to a purpose-built factory, and he has been in Newfield Close ever since. Thankfully my sons Shaun and Mark are keen to keep the family business going and they are both directors at the company,” said Graham.

“To make pork scratchings we start off with Danish rind, which comes to us in frozen blocks.

“It goes through a chopping machine where it is cut into strips, then it goes into boilers and cooked for one hour and 40 minutes.

“It comes out nice and crispy and then it is seasoned and packed into bags ready to be sent out. The furthest we distribute to is a stockist in Spain but our scratchings are sold at 29 local ASDA stores as well as pubs, clubs and butchers.

“Pork scratchings used to be just a Midland thing but now they are popular all over the country.

“We also make pork crunch, which is from back rind, lard, which is used by people who want to make things such as pork pies, and flar fat, which is an old-style of scratching made using the inside of a pig.

“Making pork scratchings isn’t rocket science. But as long as people keep loving them, we will keep making them.”

By Cathy Spencer.