Somerset pork with apples and cider
Serves: 6
Prep time: 40 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Tara Fisher
Somerset pork with apples and cider
A traditional West Country recipe that would have been enjoyed by fruit-pickers after a day in the orchards. Serve with creamy mash and cabbage or carrots
Serves: 6
Prep time: 40 minsTotal time: 
See more recipes
Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
477Kcal
Fat
21gr
Saturates
7gr
Carbs
12gr
Sugars
7gr
Fibre
2gr
Protein
54gr
Salt
0.5gr
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, in her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, in her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
Ingredients
- 1kg diced pork
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 x 400g pack shallots, peeled (or 2 onions, sliced)
- 2 tbsp chopped sage (or 2 tsp dried)
- 40g plain flour
- 1 x 500ml bottle Somerset dry cider
- 200ml chicken stock
- 1 medium Bramley apple, peeled, cored and diced
- 200g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
- 4 tbsp double cream
Optional toppings
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- a few sage leaves
- 20g unsalted butter
- 20g caster sugar
- 2 Cox or Braeburn apples, cored, each cut into 8 wedges
Step by step
Get ahead
The casserole keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge, or freezes well.
- Preheat the oven to 150°C, fan 130°C, gas 2. Season the pork and heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan. Brown a third of the pork over a high heat, but don’t overcrowd the pan or turn the meat too quickly – give it time to colour well. Transfer to an ovenproof casserole, then brown the rest of the pork in 2 more batches, adding a little more oil as needed.
- Heat another tablespoon of oil in the frying pan and brown the shallots or onions for 2-3 minutes over a medium heat. Mix the sage and flour into the shallots, then gradually stir in the cider and stock. Add the Bramley apple, season and bring to a simmer, then pour over the pork in the casserole. Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 2 hours.
- Add the mushrooms and cook for 30 minutes more.
- If you wish to make the toppings, heat the oil in a nonstick frying pan. Fry the sage leaves over a medium heat for 30-60 seconds until crisp. Tip onto kitchen paper.
- Add the butter and sugar to the frying pan and stir to melt. Add the apple wedges and fry for 1-2 minutes each side on high until caramelised.
- Stir the cream into the casserole and adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve topped with the crispy sage and caramelised apples if you wish, with creamy mash and Savoy cabbage.
