RECIPES & WINE Enjoy delicious

In the KITCHEN

The taste of autumn... tender pork with apple. This pulled pork dish is an ideal midweek supper, taking mere minutes to prepare but cooking slowly. The best things really do come to those who wait...

EASY PULLED PORK

Preparation time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 4 hours 5 minutes. Serves: 6-8. Ingredients: 1.5kg skinned pork shoulder • 2 tsp sea salt • 1 tsp ground black pepper 100ml Aspall Organic Cyder Vinegar • 1 tbsp light brown soft sugar • ½ tsp chilli flakes ½ tsp Tabasco sauce • ½ tsp sea salt • ½ tsp ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 160°C, gas mark 3. Remove any string from the pork and rub all over with the salt and pepper. Place in a roasting tin and cover tightly with foil. Roast for 2 hours, then uncover and baste with the juices. Re-cover and roast for another 2 hours until there is no pink meat and the juices run clear. Remove the foil and carefully lift the pork onto a plate. Skim off any excess fat from the tin, but leave any roasting juices (add a splash of water to loosen if needed). Return the pork to the roasting tin and shred with 2 forks, turning the meat in the juices. Warm the sauce ingredients together in a small pan over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour over the pork and toss together. Serve with coleslaw and baked sweet potatoes, if liked, or piled into buns. If a whole pork shoulder is not available from the meat counter, use the same weight in shoulder steaks instead.

In the KITCHEN

What’s life without a little passion...? What’s life without cake? Happily we can marry the two together with this month’s delicious loaf cake...

PASSION FRUIT DRIZZLE CAKE

Preparation Time: 15 minutes plus cooling. Cooking Time: One hour. Serves 10-12. Ingredients: 200g unsalted butter, very soft, plus extra for greasing • 250g white caster sugar 3 medium free range eggs, at room temperature, beaten • 250g self raising flour • ¼ tsp salt • 160ml can coconut cream For the drizzle; 3 passion fruit, halved • 2 limes, 2 tbsp juice • 75g white caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 180˚C, gas mark 4. Butter then line a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment. Using electric beaters, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until creamy and very pale. Add about 1 tbsp egg, beat again until fluffy; repeat until all of the egg has been incorporated. Sift in ½ the flour with the salt; fold in carefully with a spatula. Fold in the coconut cream until entirely combined, then the rest of the flour, to make a soft batter. Scrape into the tin, level inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tin on a rack, until barely warm. Sieve the passion fruit pulp over a bowl, pressing hard with a spatula to extract the juice. Rinse 2 tsp of the seeds; set aside. Mix the passion fruit juice (about 2 tbsp) with the lime juice.

Poke holes all over the cake with a cocktail stick, then brush ½ the juice over the top. Add 75g sugar and the rinsed seeds the top and bake for 1 hour, until risen, golden and a skewer

to the remaining passion fruit juice (about 1 tbsp). Immediately spread over the cake. Allow to cool completely (overnight for maximum crunch) before serving.

Cook’s tip: To prevent any spills, line the tin with paper, ensuring it stands a few centimetres above the sides of the tin.

The artisan gin that’s music to your ears...

Bandsman Gin is a thoroughly brilliant artisan gin with a unique flavour profile thanks to its use of tomatoes, basil and elderflower in addition to its other botanicals.

“Our original gin launched in July 2019,” says James Wood. “We have poured our pride and love into Bandsman Gin to create a crisp, fresh-tasting spirit with strong juniper overtones. The result is a smooth, almost creamy taste to the gin allowing it to be enjoyed with a variety of mixers.” £34 / 50cl / 40% ABV. bandsmangin.co.uk

The Wine Cellar

Wine of the Month

San Leo Prosecco Brut NV, Veneto, Italy £9.99 / 75cl / 11% ABV

Wine experts are forecasting a fall in the popularity of Prosecco, but San Leo’s wine is definitely bucking that trend. With a stunning citrus flavour and a fantastic mousse it’s easy to see why this wine is among the top sellers of all the UK’s supermarkets and wine merchants. Medium to high amount of acidity and large, frothy bubbles. Dominant flavours typically include apple, honeysuckle, peach, melon and pear. Adored by hard nosed wine judges and customers alike, this Prosecco is the genuine article bursting with citrus-rich character and bundles of charm. Very highly recommended. Stockists include waitrosecellar.com.

LOCAL WINES AND SPIRITS, PLUS A GREAT VALUE PROSECCO AND A TRIO OF DELICIOUS FRENCH FANCIES FOR AUTUMN... CURL UP BY THE FIRE AND ENJOY THIS MONTH’S TOP TIPPLES!

BACK TO BORDEAUX: A trio of French fancies for Autumn...

1. Château Laroque SaintÉmilion Grand Cru Classé is available at Waitrose and provides a superb Merlot-dominated profile, with rich, fragranced fruit. £29.99 / 75cl / 13.5% ABV.

2. Château Thieuley 2013, Bordeaux is a white Bordeaux with exotic fruit favours with subtle citrus and grapefruit notes. Exclusive to Waitrose, it’s one of the driest wines from the region and has a Semillon/Sauvignon grape mix. £10.99 / 75cl / 13.5% ABV.

3. And finally, Château Guiraud, Sauternes 2014 is a Bordeaux which is sweet, with a honey hue and tropical fruit on the nose and palate. £34.99 / 75cl / 14.4% ABV.

Perfect for Autumn Award-winning wines from Lincolnshire

Pale gold in colour, Ovens Farm’s Solaris has elegant aromas of passion fruit and rose petal. The palate gives a fruit forward rush of delicious, juicy, grapey character, with citrus notes lingering on the finish. Bright acidity, but balanced well with fruity depth of flavours. Partner with spicy Thai dishes; or try with prawns or lobster. Awarded Bronze medals in both Wine GB and Midlands vs North Wine awards. £78/case six.

n Our featured wines are available from the best local independent wine merchants, supermarkets and online, prices are RRP and may vary from those stated.