I have to tell you that we are eating THE most magnificent pork this  weather.  It is definitely the best that we have ever  produced and the only thing we did differently in  our pig rearing routine this year was to dispatch  the pigs a little earlier.  This has definitely made a  huge difference – for the first time, we have just the  right amount of fat on the meat.

And the taste is glorious.  Last week I defrosted some pork neck – a piece that benefits greatly from a nice slow cook.  Because I love a “sweetness” with my pork I utilised the Pink Lady apples lurking in the fruit bowl.  This is a “throw everything into the pot and come back later” dish and served with creamy mash, provides the sweetest comfort on a dreary winter evening.

Now be warned, the lashings of maple syrup make this quite a sweet sauce but one that went down a treat  here at Hunters Lodge.  Here is how I made this dish but feel free to adjust this recipe to your taste.

I used….

750g pork neck pieces

2 tablespoons rapeseed oil

2 onions chopped

3 cloves garlic (peeled and whole)

2 Pink Lady apples, cored and quartered

2 sage leaves (I took mine from the freezer)

350mls chicken stock

5 tablespoons maple syrup

The all you do is….

Preheat the oven to 170C

Heat the oil and brown the pork

Add all other ingredients and bring to the boil, give the pot a good stir, put on a tight lid and place in the oven for about 21/2-3 hours.

When the meat is succulent and tender, remove from the oven.  If you want to thicken the sauce, take the meat out of the pot and let the sauce simmer until it reduces to your desired consistency, then return the meat to warm through.

Simple, sweet and succulent!  Serve with creamy mash and enjoy…

” Food from an Irish Garden” is available in bookstores nationwide.  To book Fiona for a talk/demonstration email fiona.dillon@hotmail.com or phone 085 1057314.