Rillettes

This was the first time we'd made rilletttes but it definitely won't be the last. We researched various recipes before coming up with a combination which we liked best. We had ours with hot toast and cornichons. Chutney is optional but I think it would have gone nicely with an apple or caremelised onion chutney.

Ingredients (makes about 4 greedy portions):

1 square of pork belly (approx 10cm by 10cm)

2 duck legs

1 bay leaf

leaves off 2 thyme sprigs

3 garlic cloves

1 large glass of white wine

tea spoon of mustard seeds

salt and pepper

• Pre-heat the oven to around 160 degrees
• Place the pork and duck legs in a roasting pan
• Add the herbs, garlic (peeled but not chopped), mustard seeds, seasoning and finally the wine.
• Cover loosely with foil and cook for approx 2 hours. Turn the meat over after an hour.
• Once cooked, drain the fat/liquid into a bowl and reserve.
• Using two forks, pull the duck off the bone and gently shred the pork belly into bitesized pieces. Mash the soft garlic into the shredded pork and duck mixture.
• Press the meat into ramekins and leave to cool slightly.
• Once cooled spoon the reserved fat on top of the meat in a thin layer (if the fat has started to solidify just warm it through gently in the microwave for 20 seconds).
• Place the ramekins in the fridge for at least an hour before eating but it is best to cook them a day before you want to eat them. I'm told they last a week in the fridge but I wouldn't know!