'˜Porky' sport DJ gets behind snacks

Mike "Porky" Parry with Freshers managing director David Openshaw

Mike “Porky” Parry, one half of talkSPORT’s “The Two Mikes”, will head to Harry’s Bar in Wigan Town Centre on Friday to help promote the new pork scratching brand from Freshers Foods.

The food manufacturing company, based on Leigh Street, is behind the new product aptly named “Mike Porky Parry’s pork scratchings” and Alan Barnes, sales and marketing director, said that Mr Parry is the brand’s “match made in heaven”.

“He’s got an infamous reputation,” said Alan.

Zymantas Latvenas at Freshers Foods, on Leigh Street, making the pork scratchings

“He is extremely well-known and he fits the right demographic.

“What would a pork scratching-eater be like? Someone who loves their sport and likes a drink. And he’s got a fantastic nickname.”

Mr Parry, who has accumulated a loyal fanbase of around 3.5m listeners a week, was keen to get on board as Freshers’ pork scratching pioneer.

He said: “I’m delighted to be involved with it.

“It’s very much the same clientele as my listeners.

“We appeal to football fans- the working man.

“I love pork scratchings. To have some named after me, that’s like a footballer having a stand named after himself.”

Born and raised in Chester before eventually making his way to London to continue his career as a journalist on talkSPORT, Mr Parry identifies with the product in a nostalgic way.

“I’m really happy to be involved with something so northern,” he added. “In our profession you tend to end up in London and I have never really been back up north.

“It is my ambition to someday retire up there.

“The whole idea of the campaign is if I can help the industry break the glass ceiling between the north and the south, that’s my mission.

“The one main mission is to fill the south of England with the delights of pork scratchings.”

Mr Barnes is a self-proclaimed “big fan” of talkSPORT and of Mr Parry, which led him to approach the radio host.

He added: “I had heard it mentioned a couple of times by his listeners that he should launch his own brand of pork scratchings.

“We just invited him and a week later he came up to see us on the train. He was more than happy to give it a go.”