Fat. It’s a loaded word. If you’re over the age of 18, you’ve likely seen the pendulum swing back and forth from the poles of “fat is good for you” and “fat is bad for you” like an indecisive weather vane.
Guidance changes so frequently that it’s challenging to determine the consensus. Some studies suggest low-carb diets, rich in unsaturated fats, can lead to reduced symptoms of depression, while others claim a diet like that comes with some potentially significant cardiovascular risks, which aren’t going to be much help to your mental health.
Fat is indisputably “in” right now, with retailers like Waitrose reporting earlier this year that they’ve seen an increased demand for whole foods with sales of full-fat yoghurt and whole milk on the rise. More people than ever appear to be sceptical of synthetic ingredients and products with an unwieldy number of ingredients. And they’re not simply quacks for doing so.
“Many low-fat products are highly processed and compensate for reduced fat with added sugars and refined carbohydrates, which can increase cravings, lead to blood sugar issues and increase the risk of metabolic diseases,” Natalie Louise Burrows, clinic director of Integral Wellness and a registered nutritional therapist, says. “Whole foods with natural fats are generally healthier choices than processed, low-fat alternatives.
“Alternatively, whole foods where the fat has been reduced but not replaced (such as certain yoghurts) can be a great choice. Fat is essential for satiety, nutrient absorption and overall health. There is no need to avoid it entirely, and actually, I’d strongly advise against it.”
The reclamation of fat is one of the reasons why beef tallow has had a renaissance on TikTok, with skincare influencers celebrating it as an “all-natural” moisturiser and antidote to off-the-shelf products packed with chemicals. Whether that viral skincare trend is good for your skin is up for debate. What’s not is how fat, which was traditionally seen as fuel for the working class, is being reclaimed by upscale dining.
At the Michelin-starred Kitchen Table in London, you can get your hands on a plate of smoked eel and baby jersey royals cooked in beef fat. HOLM in Somerset is, at the time of writing, serving a beautiful rib-eye with grilled romaine and a beef fat sabayon. All you need to do is order a pile of crispy pork fat hash browns from a cocktail and listening bar in Deptford, taste how beef fat is being used to emulsify sauces at burger restaurant Heard., and scroll through popular newsletters like Paris Rosina’s Suet Mansion to realise how a taste for British schmaltz is alive and kicking.
It’s important to remember, however, that not all fats are made equal. Animal fats are typically higher in saturated fat, whereas plant-based fats (such as oils, nuts, seeds and avocados) are generally richer in unsaturated fats – the type of fat commonly referred to as “good fat”. Nevertheless, foods high in saturated fat (such as dairy, fatty fish and liver) are loaded with essential nutrients like vitamin B12, iron and omega-3s: essential nutrients that support energy production, brain and heart health, oxygen transport and the proper function of the nervous and immune systems. Demonising all saturated fats as “bad fats” is an oversimplification of a fairly complex topic. It isn’t helpful to anyone.
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Unlike heavily processed low-fat products, plant-based options are rich in ‘good’ unsaturated fats that support heart health (Getty)
“The consensus is evolving,” says Burrows. “Decades of research have linked saturated fat to higher levels of LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol and an increased risk of heart disease, leading to recommendations to limit its intake. However, recent extensive reviews and meta-analyses have questioned the strength of this link, suggesting that saturated fat may not be as harmful as once thought, and certainly needs to be considered in a wider context. That said, the recommendation from many health authorities continues to limit saturated fat, especially in favour of unsaturated fats like MUFAs and PUFAs.”
As a company with a mission to “do something about the metabolic health of the world” and “de-stigmatise the world of fats”, GOOD PHATS sell artisan seed oil-free fats ranging from organic British grass-fed ghee and Spanish extra virgin olive oil to organic grass-fed beef tallow. The branding is bold and snazzy, with their oils available in jars as well as spray and squeeze bottles. Setting out to make fat “cool” again, GOOD PHATS launched in 2024 with a wide-reaching social media campaign, successfully getting their products into the hands of myriad online tastemakers.
The company was started after founder Tom Redwood had a health scare. Diagnosed as pre-diabetic, he began exploring ways to try to reverse the diagnosis and adopted a low-carb diet as a potential solution. “It worked,” says Redwood. “My blood markers improved dramatically, reversing my diagnosis and losing over 42kg [from 130kg]. Other health conditions I was suffering with: psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and a myriad of auto-immune conditions – all gone. I felt like I’d been handed a second chance.”
“Like so many people, I’d grown up with the message that ‘fat makes you fat,’” he continues. “That couldn’t be further from the truth. I learned that good fats, like those from grass-fed animals, avocados and extra-virgin olive oil, are essential to wellbeing, optimal energy and metabolic health. From that point on, the quality of fat in my food became non-negotiable. As a chef, I’ve always appreciated the taste and quality of fats, but didn’t necessarily understand the importance of them.”
I wanted to cook the kind of food we love to eat – gutsy, rich, layered – and that often involves fat. Not gratuitously, but purposefully. Fat is flavour
Chris Leach, co-founder of manteca
The product I’m most intrigued by in the GOOD PHATS roster is the beef tallow. It’s a thick and appetisingly cream-coloured substance which smells a bit like a Bovril-scented candle. Made by slowly rendering beef, beef tallow’s high smoke point makes it perfect for searing steaks, roasting potatoes or adding a smack of umami to your stocks, stews, curries and ragu. Fat is certainly fashionable again, but are regular consumers ready to buy tubs of beef fat from the supermarket? Apparently so.
“Our organic 100 per cent grass-fed beef tallow and organic 100 per cent grass-fed ghee have really taken off,” says Redwood. “Their popularity reflects the growing shift in how people perceive fats, once deemed ‘bad for you’ for much of the last century, they’re now being recognised as essential and beneficial to health… there’s something incredibly satisfying about rediscovering a cooking fat your grandparents might’ve used and realising it not only tastes better, but is better for you too.”
“Better” is, of course, relative to your body and your health. “Trans fats should be avoided, and saturated fats should be consumed in moderation, favouring unsaturated fats on the whole,” argues Burrows. “The healthiest approach is a balanced diet that includes a variety of fat sources and emphasises whole foods, rather than assuming all fats are beneficial in unlimited amounts.”
Historically, lard was the most common cooking fat in British working-class homes, particularly for baking and frying, and a regular part of the national diet. Other animal fats like beef tallow and mutton fat were also used, as were now-standard fats like cheese, butter and cream. According to a BBC Radio 4 episode of The Food Programme, the average consumption of lard was as high as 54g per week in 1974; today, it’s as little as a teaspoon. For context: the average weekly butter consumption in the UK between 2006 and 2019 was 33g per person. Nowadays, you’re more likely to see lard on the menu at a high-end restaurant than in the cupboards of a home kitchen.
One restaurant that has literally made its name as an advocate for fat is manteca, an Italian-leaning pasta spot in East London which specialises in nose-to-tail cooking. “The name manteca came from a few places,” explains Chris Leach, the restaurant’s chef and co-founder. “One is the energy of the Dizzy Gillespie track – it’s got this wild, joyful rhythm that felt like the kind of food and atmosphere I wanted to create. But it also means ‘pork fat’ in Mexico, and that really stuck with me. My father-in-law is Mexican, and I remember hearing the word being thrown around in conversation at the dinner table at my wife’s parents’ place – and it just clicked. It had weight, soul and a bit of swagger. It felt right. Fat!”
Cast your eyes over the menu and you’ll quickly see how integral fat is to the kitchen. Whether it’s the duck fat in the ciabatta, which is grilled and served with a ferociously delicious duck liver parfait; the house-cured extra fatty pancetta draped over the wood-roasted cabbage; or the bubbling layer of crackling on the porchetta – Leach and his team have never shied away from the stuff. They’ve even made beef fat fudge, a version of ’nduja made with aged beef fat instead of pork, and a fat-washed salumi vodka made using the trim and offcuts from charcuterie that the team cures in-house.
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Fat is flavour: manteca’s cult pig skin ragu proves how rich, layered cooking can make the most of every part of the animal (manteca)
“I wanted to cook the kind of food we love to eat – gutsy, rich, layered – and that often involves fat. Not gratuitously, but purposefully. Fat is flavour,” he tells The Independent. “That’s the starting point. It’s the thing that carries aroma, adds texture and brings depth. Whether it’s the olive oil we finish every dish with, butter in our pasta sauces, or rendered animal fat to start cooking meat for a ragu, fat ties everything together.”
Diners seem to agree. Manteca was lauded as the 63rd best restaurant in the UK in last year’s iteration of the National Restaurant Awards, and its pig skin ragu has become a cult classic. To make it, the chefs start by sautéeing a classic soffrito base with a fistful of spices and tomatoes. It’s so far, so standard ragu until the addition of the not-so-secret ingredient: cooked minced pig skin. The ragu is cooked down until it’s rich, sticky and glossy, then served with a chicharrón of pig skin which has been boiled, dehydrated and deep-fried. Dunk the crispy pig skin into the soupy pig skin, and you’ll be transported somewhere close to nirvana. The dish hasn’t left the menu since the restaurant opened.
But has the recent trend for collagen, animal fat and its supposed health benefits led to an increase in the popularity of the fat-based dishes at manteca?
“Maybe a little,” says Leach, “though we’ve been doing this long before collagen was a buzzword. I think there’s more awareness now – people are starting to understand that fat isn’t the enemy, especially when it comes from well-raised animals and is used properly. The fact that the wellness world is catching up with what chefs have known for years doesn’t hurt.”