Potted Pork with Juniper and Thyme, with a Marmalade of Apples, Raisins and Shallots

It’s good to bring some forgotten traditional English recipes – like potted meats and terrines – into Christmas.

If they’re tucked away in the fridge, there’s always something special to hand for those ‘other’ mealtimes.

This recipe is from Delia's Happy Christmas. Serves 6

method
Ingredients

Method

All you do here is place the meats, garlic, mace and thyme in a mixing bowl.

Then, using a pestle and mortar, crush the juniper berries and peppercorns – not too finely. Add these, along with the brandy and salt, then give everything a really thorough mixing. Now pack the mixture into the bowl, press the thyme sprigs and juniper berries onto the surface, then cover with double sheet of foil, twisting it to make a kind of lid. Place it on a baking tray then into the oven to cook slowly for 11⁄2 hours. Then remove it from the oven, place some scale weights (or something else heavy) on top to firm it up and leave to get quite cold before transferring to the fridge. Serve cut into wedges, straight from the bowl.

Marmalade of Apples, Raisins and Shallots:
This also goes well with any other pâté, terrine or pork dish

To prepare the apples, core and cut them into quarters, then slice each quarter into three.

Place them, along with all the other ingredients, in a medium-sized saucepan, bring everything up to a gentle simmer and just leave it to cook very gently (without a lid) for 50–60 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and the mixture looks sticky and glossy.

If you want to make this in advance, to serve just warm it through gently – it doesn’t need to be hot, just warm.