This hearty pork and cider casserole combines tender chunks of pork with the rich flavours of cider, earthy sage, and tangy mustard. Slow-cooked to perfection, the dish develops a comforting, savoury sauce that’s both sweet and slightly sharp, thanks to the cider and mustard. Perfect for chilly days, this casserole pairs well with creamy mashed potatoes or crusty bread to soak up every last drop.
Check Out The Recipe Video Below
Creamy Pork & Cider Casserole with Mustard and Sage
Ingredients
300g x Smoked Streaky Bacon (sliced)
750g x Pork Shoulder (cut into large dice)
2 x Celery Sticks (diced)
1 x Medium Brown Onion (diced)
1 x Leek (sliced)
20g x Sage Leaves (chopped)
30ml x Vegetable Oil
55g x Soft Butter
500ml x Cider
450ml x Chicken Stock
30g x Plain all-purpose Flour
70g x Wholegrain Mustard
170g x Creme Fraiche
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Method
Preheat the oven to 150°C Fan. Cut the bacon into strips, dice the pork, cut the celery into small dice, dice the onion, slice the leek, and finely chop the sage leaves.
Place a large oven-safe pan over medium-high heat and drizzle in the vegetable oil. Fry the bacon lardons until crisp, then remove them from the pan. Sear the pork in batches, remove it from the pan, and put it onto a plate.
Place half of the butter into the pan, followed by the chopped celery, onion, and leek. Sauté over low heat until soft (5 to 7 minutes). Place the bacon and pork back into the pan and pour in almost all of the cider, keeping a little back to use later. Add in the chicken stock and stir in the chopped sage. Bring it to a simmer, cover with a lid, and place into the preheated oven for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, remove it from the oven, place it back onto the hob, and bring it to a simmer.
Mix the remaining butter with the flour to make a paste. Stir some of the paste into the casserole and let it simmer to thicken. Add more paste if needed but you shouldn't need all of it.
Stir through the wholegrain mustard and the creme fraiche and simmer for a final 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir through the remaining cider. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Enjoy!