Winter Pork stew with Yorkshire cider

Winter Pork stew with Yorkshire cider

2 Tbsp of Yorkshire rapeseed oil
600g of diced pork 
1 chopped onion
2 chopped carrots 
2 chopped celery sticks
4 slices of bacon diced 
250ml of dry Yorkshire cider 
2 chopped apples
1 chicken stock
1 bay left
3 thyme sprigs
140g of creme fraiche
1 tbsp of dijon mustard

Method

Heat half the oil in a large pan and brown the meat in batches. When one batch is cooked, tip it into the slow cooker and continue with the next batch, adding more oil as you need it.

When all the meat has been transferred to the slow cooker, add the onion, carrots and celery to the pan and cook for 5-10 mins to just soften. Tip the veg into the slow cooker. Add the bacon to the pan and fry until crispy. Pour in the cider, bubble for 1 min, tip the cider and bacon into the slow cooker too. Add the apples, stock cube and herbs to the slow cooker, pour in 400ml water, season well and turn the heat to Low. Cover with the lid and cook for 6-8 hrs until the meat is very tender. Or cook in the over on a low to med heat for 3/4 hours.

Turn your slow cooker up to High. Add the crème fraîche and mustard to the stew and check the seasoning. If the sauce is thin, you can thicken it with the cornflour – ladle 2 spoonfuls of the sauce into a pan and bring to a simmer, mix the cornflour with 1-2 tsp cold water to make a paste, then stir it into the sauce. Once thickened, return the sauce to the slow cooker and cook for 10 mins more on High, stirring occasionally (or for 5 mins on the hob). 

Serve with mashed potato