Back bacon medallions (trimmed, all visible fat removed) are syn free on Slimming World. Streaky bacon is 2.5–3 syns per rasher because of the fat content. The distinction matters — a Full English made with medallions can be completely syn free, while the same breakfast made with streaky bacon costs 8–10 syns.
Most supermarket unsmoked back bacon, when trimmed of all visible fat before cooking, qualifies as Free on the plan. Medallion bacon — the pre-trimmed circular cuts — is also free. The fat is what costs syns, not the bacon itself.
Back bacon with all visible fat trimmed is free on Slimming World. Bacon medallions (which are pre-trimmed back bacon with no fat) are free. Streaky bacon is not free — each rasher costs 2.5–3 syns because the fat layer runs through the whole rasher and cannot be fully trimmed.
The rule on Slimming World is that lean meat with all visible fat removed is free. Back bacon's fat sits in a defined strip along the edge of the rasher. Remove that strip before cooking and the lean meat portion is free. Streaky bacon has fat marbled through the meat itself, which is why it cannot be made free no matter how much you trim.
The table below covers syn values, calories, and WW SmartPoints for every common bacon type per rasher.
| Bacon type | Per rasher | Calories | SW Syns | WW Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back bacon medallion (no fat) | ~25g | 45 kcal | Free | 1 |
| Back bacon, fat trimmed | ~30g | 55 kcal | Free | 1 |
| Back bacon, fat NOT trimmed | ~40g | 85 kcal | 2 | 3 |
| Streaky bacon rasher (raw) | ~20g | 65 kcal | 2.5 | 3 |
| Streaky bacon rasher (cooked/crispy) | ~15g cooked | 60 kcal | 2.5 | 2 |
| Smoked back bacon, fat trimmed | ~30g | 57 kcal | Free | 1 |
| Smoked streaky bacon | ~20g | 68 kcal | 3 | 3 |
| Bacon lardons (unsmoked) | 100g | 210 kcal | 5 | 7 |
Syn values are based on trimmed/untrimmed fat content. Always remove all visible fat before cooking to ensure back bacon qualifies as free. Verify specific branded products in the official Slimming World app.
Streaky bacon contains 2.5–3 syns per rasher depending on thickness. A standard pack of supermarket streaky bacon typically has 10–12 rashers at around 2.5 syns each. Four rashers — enough for a decent bacon sandwich — is 10 syns.
Streaky bacon is not a regular daily option on plan the way back bacon is. Most members who love the taste of streaky use it occasionally in recipes as a flavouring — two or three rashers chopped into a pasta bake adds smokiness for around 5–7 syns total across the whole dish. As the star of a breakfast plate, back bacon is the right call.
Yes — smoked and unsmoked back bacon have the same syn value when trimmed of fat. The smoking process changes the flavour but not the fat content, so it makes no difference to syns. Smoked back bacon medallions are free in the same way as unsmoked.
Smoked streaky bacon is very slightly higher in calories than unsmoked streaky in some brands (due to slight differences in curing), which can push it to 3 syns per rasher rather than 2.5. In practice the difference is minimal — treat all streaky bacon as 3 syns per rasher to keep things simple.
A full English on Slimming World is completely syn free when made with back bacon medallions, grilled lean sausages (check syn values — SW syn-free sausages exist), poached or scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes, and mushrooms. Baked beans are free. The only syn costs come from butter, oil, or fatty meats.
The standard swaps: fry-light instead of oil or butter (saves the syn cost of cooking fat), back bacon instead of streaky (saves 2.5 syns per rasher), and SW-friendly sausages (Richmond 97% Pork Sausages are around 1 syn each when grilled). A four-item cooked breakfast with back bacon comes to 0–3 syns total — one of the most filling low-syn meals on the plan.
Bacon lardons contain approximately 5 syns per 100g — they are made from belly pork or streaky bacon, which means the fat runs through the meat and cannot be trimmed. Used as a recipe ingredient across a dish serving 4 people, 100g of lardons adds around 1–1.5 syns per portion.
Lardons are most useful in small quantities as a flavouring — a 50g handful in a pasta sauce or soup adds smokiness for around 2.5 syns total. As a topping or main ingredient they become expensive in syns. Most SW recipes that call for lardons either reduce the quantity or swap to lean back bacon pieces.
For the full Free Foods breakfast picture, see calories in eggs UK — every egg format from boiled to scotch eggs with syn values.
For a full comparison of every breakfast option by calories and syns, see the lowest calorie breakfast UK guide.
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