Pig cheeks in cider

Pig cheeks in cider (serves 2)

Ingredients 4 - 6 pig cheeks Large knob of butter 500ml cider 1 onion, diced 4 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tbsp herbes de provence 1 savoy cabbage, shredded

1) Preheat the oven to 160c.

2) Heat a pan, get the butter foaming and then brown the pig cheeks all over. Remove and put into a casserole dish.

3) In the same pan, cook the onion until soft, then add the garlic and herbes de provence. Cook until the garlic is just starting to colour (add more butter if necessary).

4) Pour the cider into the pan and gently scrape the bottom to get all the yummy porky bits off.

5) Add the cider mixture to the casserole.

6) Bung it in the oven for 1 and a half hours.

7) Throw the cabbage in for the last 10 minutes so that it wilts down into the cidery juices.

I served this up with a heap of lentils, a bit wintry perhaps but definitely an earthy and satisfying meal. It would probably be even nicer with a few slices of Bramley apple thrown in.