Recipes

A favourite from Henrietta Green

'This recipe was the inspiration of Clarissa Dickson Wright. Through a little experimentation during a cookery tour, juicy rare-breed pork chops ended up simmering with cherries - and what a subtle, seasonal blend fo flavours it turned out to be.'

Serves 4

4 x175g (6oz) Freedom Food labelled loin pork chops off the bone
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
25g (1oz) butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
150ml (1/4 pint) dry white wine
16-20 cherries, washed and stalks removed
225ml (8 fl oz) double cream

Selection of seasonal vegetables to serve

Method

Season the pork chops. Melt half the butter with half the oil in a pan over quite a high heat. Then cook the pork chops to seal in the juices and to brown them slightly for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove the chops from the pan and drain off the fat.

In the same pan, melt the remaining butter with the remaining oil, add the onion and cook gently over a moderate heat to soften for about 5-7 minutes. Then pour in the wine and stir, scraping the pan to deglaze. Return the pork chops to the pan, cover and cook gently for about 15 minutes or until the pork chops are cooked right through. You might need to check in case all the wine has evaporated and the pork is in danger of catching, in which case, just add some more wine or water.

Reduce the heat down to low, add the cherries and cook for a further couple of minutes. Remove the chops from the pan and keep warm.

Add the cream, turn up the heat and cook rapidly to reduce the sauce. Pour over the pork chops and serve immediately. Serve with the seasonal vegetables.