West Country Honeyed Pork Stew

ruthio77

Tried this at the weekend, it's an old recipe out of my English Heritage cookbook, was absolutely delicious!

Pork lends itself to sweet sauces with a touch of tartness which counteract the rich flavour of the meat. Pork and honey go particularly well together. Try to buy Somerset or other regional honey which has a strong flavour and scent which recalls the flowers on which the bees have feasted.


Serves 4


450 g (1 lb) lean belly pork, rinded, boned and cut into chunky cubes
50g (2 oz) Butter beans, soaked overnight
15 ml (1 tbsp) clear honey
400 ml (1 pint) chicken stock
250 ml (1/2 pint) apple juice
1 medium onion, skinned and stuck with a few whole cloves
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2 leeks, trimmed, sliced and washed
2 celery sticks, sliced
1 tbsp mixed herbs
30 ml (2 tbsp) Worcestershire sauce
15 ml (1 tbsp) tomato puree
salt and pepper


1. Cook the pork in a flameproof casserole over a brisk heat until the fat runs.


2. Drain the beans and add to the pork with the honey, stock, apple juice, onion and herbs. Slowly bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the beans are just becoming tender.


3. Add the carrots, leeks and celery to the casserole with the Worcestershire sauce and tomato puree, season to taste.


4. Continue simmering for a further 15 - 30 minutes or until the beans are really tender.


Accompany with crusty bread.

I worked this out at about 300 calories per portion before bread.

Perfect for these chilly nights!
:happy: