This section on uncured meat introduces you to the concept of stacking layers of coloured clay to make a cane, opening up a whole world of possibility for miniature food-making. We also look at how to create realistic meat colours and wrapping paper - all made out of polymer clay.

Method
1 Roll out a very thin sheet of approximately 6 x 4cm of the skin mix.
2 For the fat, roll out a slightly thicker layer the same size as before and lay this over the skin layer.
3 Form a roll from the pink meat mix, approximately 5mm in diameter. Position this roll along the top edge of the squared-up pieces of skin and fat layers.
4 Roughly roll out a layer of pink meat mix approximately the same thickness or slightly thicker than the fat. Position this beneath the roll so that they almost join. Try not to make this layer too even in thickness as varying the thickness adds to the realism.
5 Tear the rolled meat mix into strips.
6 and 7 Start to build up layers of meat strips and very thin layers of fat (layering three layers of meat and one of fat to produce the right combination).
8 Press the meat and fat layers together gently. Fold the bottom of this layered stack up underneath the meat roll. Curl the top over ever so slightly.
9 Start to lengthen the strip by a combination of squeezing and pulling, making sure that you don't squash the roll out of shape too much.
10 When your strip is
slightly less than 2cm thick, stop pulling. This size is about correct for 1/12 scale. Cut the cane to expose the finished bacon rasher effect. Now slice the bacon very finely to produce rashers.
11 If you are making the bacon to display in the dolls' house and you want to show it wrapped in butcher's paper, roll some foundation colour mix 2 as finely as you possibly can, preferably in a pasta maker set to the very finest setting. With your fingers, smooth out and stretch even further if possible. Cut out a small wrapper shape, up to 3cm square.
12 Carefully wrap the bacon in the paper, as if it has been left half open on the meat stall or In the kitchen.
For fried bacon
Simply arrange slices with ripples to simulate the appearance of cooked/fried bacon and once hardened, touch up the ridges with a little orange/brown glaze.

Pork and lamb chops

The chops are made in almost exactly the same way as the bacon. Pork chops tend to be larger than lamb and the lamb meat is darker. Follow steps 1 and 2 to make pork and the remainder for lamb.
Method
1 Mix up a slightly paler meat mix than for bacon. To the original mix, add flesh pink and possibly a tiny amount each of ochre and grey, though this is optional. The best thing is to work from life to get the right colour mix - vegetarians excepted!
2 The tail end of the chop is shortest, so just make up very short meat layers and maybe only two of them. If you are a perfectionist, make up layers of varying thickness and slightly differing shades to simulate real meat. I give my chops a short layer of darker pink. For trimmed chops, leave out the skin layer.
"3 For the lamb chop cane, make it very much as you did for the bacon and pork chops with a few minor additions.Mix some terracotta with your basic meat mix to produce a darker colour for the chop bone. Form a small triangular cane by wrapping a little triangular prism in foundation colour mix 1.
4 Add your little triangle to the top of the eye of the meat (for added realism, I make a little indentation in the top of this triangle). Now add extra layers over this bone. Again, working from life will help you with this bit. If you find this works, you are destined to be a super-caner!
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5 Using a blade, slice your chops to the desired thickness.
6 Wrap your chops and bacon in butcher's paper for an effective display.