Pork and Bacon Loaf

I liked this idea as soon as I read about it in a WI book and could not wait to try it, although I have adjusted it. My husband is generally happy being a guinea pig as long as it is nothing fishy. We loved it and I served it with a herby cheesy sauce, veg and roasted baby potatoes. Left overs was equally good, cold the next day.

You will need a 1lb loaf tin [good non stick], well buttered. Pre heat your fan oven to 160C

12 oz lean pork shoulder, chopped very finely

6 oz lean back bacon, finely chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped

½ a leek, finely chopped

½ teaspoon dried sage and a pinch of dried mixed herbs

1 small beaten egg

a little sea salt and plenty of fresh ground pepper.

4 oz fresh breadcrumbs from a good loaf, left to go stale

a small eating apple, peeled and finely chopped [with a little lemon juice to stop it going brown]

2 fl oz apple juice or cider

a level tablespoon grated parmesan

Mix the meats, crumbs, onion, leeks, seasonings and herbs etc and bind the whole with the egg and cider. Tip into your prepared tin, pressing it down evenly. It should come almost to the top. Cover the mix with a little foil and find something in your cupboard to act as a weight and leave for half an hour. Cover with some buttered foil.

Bake for 1½ hours, removing the foil 15 mins before the end. Leave in the tin for a short while to settle before inverting it onto a serving plate. You can pop this under a medium grill to lightly brown if you wish. Leave to rest for ten mins before slicing. Yum Yum.

Sauce:

1 oz butter

level tablespoon plain flour,

½ teaspoon dried mustard

seasoning

½ pint milk [full cream if feeling indulgent]

grated mature cheddar

chopped parsley to taste

Melt the butter in a small pan, stir in the flour to make a smooth paste, add the mustard, then the milk, whisking the whole time until coming to the boil and nicely thickened. Stir in the cheese and finely chopped parsley