The Hackney Butchers Association

Beautiful tender meat infused with Caraway seeds and garlic, with a mountain of crispy crackling. This has to be one of the cheapest cuts of meat and massively under-valued.  The ones I bought yesterday (from Theobalds ) were £1.80 per knuckle.  There is a lot of meat on them, a big one can easily feed two hungry & greedy people, that's porky-heaven at 90p per person!  It's a fatty cut so not for everyone I guess.  It's like a cross between gammon & pork belly.  You can use them for a classic pea & ham soup, or braised Chinese style with cinnamon and star-anise, or plain roasted like they do in Germany.  The last route is the one I did last night.   Yum... The cooking time is quite long, 2-3 hours, so this would be perfect for a lazy Sunday lunch on a cold winter's day.  Log burning fire... bottle of wine...or two... mmmnnnn CLICK BELOW FOR RECIPE:

This is lighter than it sounds but is still is a great winter warmer.  You can substitute normal onions, or use leeks & fennel.  HERE'S HOW:

This is a great simple side dish for a roast.  I served it up today with roast chicken, and it was wolfed down by everyone.  It may sound like a lot of mustard, but it doesn't end up overpowering anything.  This can be easily adapted with any fresh herbs depending on what it's being served with. Definitely one to repeat. CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE:

This is a real treat.  We cooked this recently for a party and not a scrap was  left.  How much meat you get depends on how big your pig is!...  The last one we cooked was 8-10kg with head  trotters still on.  It easily fed about 16 adults and gaggle of kids. You should probably cook this on a rotisserie to get the real drama, but here's how to do it if you only have an oven.  This way gets amazing crispy skin and unbelievably succulent pork. I got my pig from http://alternativemeats.co.uk/. They do a massive range of game, goat, mutton and loads of really interesting meats like Crocodile, Buffalo, Kangaroo, Kudu, Springbok, Blesbok and Zebra.  This pig was £90, so not cheap!  But it goes a long way, and in in this instance it's worth splashing the cash! CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE:

Dead simple & delicious.  For a slightly Chinesey-vibe.  This came from a Nigel Slater recipe. It serves 4, but would be incredibly easy to scale up for many more. RECIPE BELOW:

This is based on a Delia recipe.  She loves it with lots of cloves, it's also great with nutmeg and lots of peppercorns, like below. I've got to remember to cook it more often.  It's good winter food, heart-warming stuff.  Delicious. RECIPE BELOW:

For the cider and apple sauce (makes enough for 4 servings, or 1 really greedy one) 20ml groundnut oil 500g pork bones (ask your butcher), chopped small 1 large onion, peeled and chopped 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped 1 celery stick, chopped 2 garlic gloves, peeled and crushed 1 bay leaf 1 thyme sprigs 2 sprigs tarragon 1 granny smith apple, chopped 300ml dry cider 400ml chicken stock Method: To prepare the cider sauce. Place a heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat and heat up, and then add the oil. When it is almost smoking, add the pork bones and cook, stirring frequently, until they are deep golden in colour. Add the vegetables, garlic and herbs, lower the heat and cook for 8-10 minutes or until softened and golden. Add the chopped apple and cider. Bring to the boil and simmer to reduce by half, and then add the stock. Bring back to the boil, skim and simmer again for 20-25 minutes. Pass the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean pan and simmer to reduce by...

Parsnips are in season from November through to January. A couple of different ideas to go with a roast, or some grilled oily-fish. Mash up some cooked parsnips with a bit of butter or cream & add some ground cumin, chilli seeds & cinammon to taste. Or Peel some parsnips, cut off the thin ends & roast or fry with some spicy paprika/chorizo. Meanwhile, simmer the fatter bits in some water until soft & then puree in a blender with a splash of cream, or milk & butter. Serve the crispy bit on the puree.  It looks and tastes amazing, thanks to the intense colour and flavour of the chorizo. Or Roast up with cumin and smoked paprika.  Not radically different from above I guess...

I made a roast pumpkin dish earlier tonight. I bashed up a mix of fennel,coriander, cumin and red chilli seeds, with garlic and a little olive oil. I rubbed it over slices of a small pumpkin and a torn-up red pepper. Then roasted alongside a lemon chicken. It was great. Sweet & really spicy. This is the pumpkin just before roasting for 30mins at 180°C.

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe. It's a dramatic roast. I've done it quite a few times and look forward to doing it again. I'm hungry just thinking about it. The main flavours are paprika, rosemary & red onion. It smells incredible as you cook it. Even my kids love it... I always roast up a load of mixed peppers with it & serve up some irony greens. It's great. HERE IT IS... I make lots and then freeze any left-over beans. They make a great instant meal another time. I made amazing pork scratchings by roasting up all the pork trimmings with chilli seeds and dried mixed herbs. I know it's not exactly health food, but worth it...

This is a Rick Stein number. It is absolutely delicious. Great winter comfort food. It serves 4. You don't need any other side dishes. Definitely one to repeat every winter! http://www.hub-uk.com/foodpages31/1522.htm Pheasant shooting season in the UK is from October 1st until February 1st. The cheapest time to buy is November when they are at their peak. Check out HERE if you want to know about other birds, ie. Mallard, Grouse, Wood Pigeon etc.

This is so easy & totally delicious! 5 garlic gloves 2 tbsp fennel seeds 3 tbsp chopped parsley 2 teaspoons sea salt olive oil Pork loin 2-3kg on the bone (preferably rib end) 1. (5mins) Finely cut & bash up the PARSLEY, FENNEL SEEDS, GARLIC and SEA SALT. Add just enough nice olive oil to make a paste & rub on any joint of pork. Leave uncovered overnight in the fridge.... Next day cook pork as normal. Serve with roasted spuds etc. It's so damn good.... BIG FLAVOURS & ROUGH EDGES was the Eagle Pub's first book. It's was reprinted in 2009 as The Eagle Cookbook: Recipes from the Original Gastropub.