recipes serve 4

pan-fried pork chops, stroganoff sauce
4 loin plum pork chops, trimmed
olive oil
generous knob unsalted butter
200g mushrooms, whatever variety you prefer, wiped and sliced
50ml brandy
125ml crème fraiche
salt and pepper

Pour a little oil onto some kitchen paper and wipe the base of a heavy-bottomed frying pan. Heat the pan to high and place the chops in. Sizzle for three minutes then turn the chops over and brown the other side for two minutes. Turn down the heat to medium and continue to cook for another four minutes. Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms in the butter until golden and just cooked; set aside.

Remove the chops to a warm oven (90°C/Gas Mark ½) while you make the sauce. Deglaze the frying pan with the brandy until reduced by half, add the mushrooms, turn the heat down and add the cream. Slowly bring back to a gentle simmer and season with a pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper. Spoon the stroganoff sauce over the chops and serve with new potatoes and steamed seasonal vegetables.

bolognese
400g minced beef
400g minced plum pork
50g plum pancetta, diced
olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
250ml red wine
150ml pork stock, or boiling water
1-2 bay leaves
salt and pepper

In a large pan or casserole dish, heat a little olive oil and brown the minced beef and pork in batches; remove and set aside. Heat a little more oil in the pan and fry the pancetta for two minutes, turn the heat down and sauté the onions for about five minutes before adding the garlic for another minute or two.

Turn up the heat and add the wine, bubbling for a couple of minutes, before tipping in the tomatoes and tomato purée. Bring to just below the boil then return the browned meat to the pan, add the bay leaves, a good grinding of black pepper and a pinch of sea salt.

You can either bake it in the oven at about 160°C/Gas Mark 3, or simmer on the hob for one hour. Serve with spaghetti, cooked
al dente, and freshly grated Parmesan.

sausage, apple and mustard casserole
12 traditional butcher’s plum pork sausages
olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large cooking apple, peeled, cored and chopped
300ml chicken, pork or vegetable stock
1-2 bay leaves
2 tsp grainy mustard
1 tsp each, English and Dijon mustard
150ml double cream
8 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
salt and pepper

Heat a little oil in a casserole dish and fry the sausages over a medium to high heat until golden brown; remove and set aside. If necessary, wipe out the pan with kitchen paper and add a little more olive oil. Sauté the onion for five minutes then add the apple and cook for a further two minutes. Return the sausages to the pan and pour over the hot stock. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer. Pop in the bay leaves and cover and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Use your wooden spoon to mash the apple down a little then stir in the mustards and the cream. Slowly bring back to a simmer and heat through for a few minutes. Season with pinch of sea salt and good grinding of black pepper, then stir in the chopped fresh sage. Serve with mashed potatoes and seasonal green vegetables.