Sticky Pear and Perry sausages with Cobnuts

I love these early Autumn days. There's a familiar note in the air; crisp mornings warmed gently by a thin sun, scented with an earthy perfume of wood, wet leaves and smoke. It's a wonderful time to cook with fresh, seasonal produce - my Butcher took delivery of his first batch of local Wood Pigeons at the weekend, a brace of which are now residing in our freezer. It's a bit early for many wild nuts, but Kentish Cobnuts are available right now - their fresh crunch adds a lovely contrast to the soft, yielding pears and sticky sausages in this dish.

6 Good quality pork sausages
A knob of butter
3 Ripe Pears
2Tbsp Honey
1Tbsp Wholegrain mustard
A small wine glass of Perry (if you can't Perry, cider will be just as nice)
Fresh Cobnuts
Salt and pepper

In a large pan, fry the sausages on the hob until browned nicely. Add a good knob of butter, half the pears, then add them to the pan (you can griddle the cut side beforehand if you like – I always think that the charred lines add an extra visual dimension). Stir in the Perry, mustard and honey - season, then pop a lid on the pan and simmer on low for 20 minutes, turning the pears and sausages intermittently. Serve with a scattering of fresh whole Cobnuts and a hearty side of Celeriac mash.

Appledrane featured in Fabulous Food magazine

There is a two page feature on Appledrane in the Spring issue of Fabulous Food magazine; opening their new "Bloggers' bites" series. Very excited and flattered to have been asked; they've run my Scallops with wild leek, pepper and black mustard leaf dressing recipe from last summer. Here it is!

  

Wild mushroom tarts

Makes 4

300g Wild mushrooms

375g Pack puff pastry

1 Garlic clove, finely chopped

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp Creme fraiche

20g Parmesan, finely grated

A large knob of butter

1 Egg, beaten

A few sprigs of fresh lemon thyme

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Sprinke a little flour onto a work

surface and roll the pastry out to about 1/2cm thick. Use a small

saucer to cut out 4 pastry discs; transfer onto a lined baking sheet

and use the blunt edge of a knife to score a border on each (inset of

about 1cm).

Melt a knob butter in a hot pan, stir in the garlic, then add the

mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, then take off the heat.

Mix the mustard, creme fraiche and Parmesan together in a bowl. Spread

a thin layer of the mixture into the centre of each tart, taking care

not to spoon over the border line. Divide the mushrooms between the

four tarts, brush the pastry borders with beaten egg and bake for 20

minutes. Season, sprinkle with some fresh thyme leaves and serve.

Discovery mustard potatoes

Serves 4

800g potatoes, cubed

1 thinly sliced red onion

2 Discovery apples, cored and cubed

4 tsp wholegrain mustard

Boil the potatoes under a watchful eye - until a sharp knife just about slips through a cube. While you drain the potatoes, have a glug of olive oil heating in a frying pan. Pop the potatoes into the pan; toss gently every few minutes, adding the onion and apples about 10 minutes in. Stir in mustard just before serving. Great with pork chops - not forgetting a glass of crisp cider.