Somerset pork chops with cider, mustard and caramelised apples

Serves - 4

You’ll need

• 4 thick-cut pork chops, preferably bone-in
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 20g butter
• 2 eating apples, cored and cut into wedges
• 1 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 2 shallots, finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 250ml dry cider
• 150ml chicken stock
• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 100ml double cream
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Get the pork ready

Take the pork chops out of the fridge around 20 minutes before cooking. Pat them dry with kitchen paper and season well with salt and black pepper.

A dry chop and a hot pan will give you much better colour, and colour is doing a fair amount of the flavour work here.

2. Caramelise the apples

Heat half the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the apple wedges and cook for 3–4 minutes on each side until beginning to colour.

Sprinkle over the brown sugar and cook for another 1–2 minutes until the apples are glossy and lightly caramelised. Lift them out onto a plate and set aside.

You want them golden and still holding their shape, not halfway to apple sauce.

3. Brown the pork

Add the olive oil to the same pan and turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the pork chops and cook for 3–4 minutes on each side until deeply golden.

Add the remaining butter for the final minute and spoon it over the chops as it foams.

Lift the chops out and set aside. They will finish cooking in the sauce.

4. Start the sauce

Turn the heat down to medium and add the shallots to the pan. Cook for 4–5 minutes until softened, then stir in the garlic and thyme and cook for another minute.

Pour in the cider and let it bubble for 3–4 minutes, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Those sticky bits are not mess. They are dinner.

5. Build the mustard sauce

Add the chicken stock, wholegrain mustard and Dijon mustard and stir well.

Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced slightly.

6. Finish the pork

Return the pork chops to the pan and simmer gently for 5–8 minutes, turning once, until cooked through and tender.

The exact time will depend on the thickness of the chops, so keep an eye on them rather than allowing the clock to take complete control of proceedings.

7. Add the cream and apples

Lift the pork out onto a warm plate. Stir the double cream into the sauce and simmer gently for 2–3 minutes until slightly thickened.

Return the caramelised apples to the pan and warm them through, then taste and adjust the seasoning.

The sauce should be rich and savoury, with the cider and apples bringing freshness and sweetness rather than turning the whole thing into pudding with a pork chop in it.

8. Serve

Put the pork chops onto warm plates and spoon over the cider, mustard and apple sauce.

Serve with buttery mash, roasted potatoes or crushed new potatoes, plus something green on the side. Braised cabbage or green beans would both be very happy here.

A couple of helpful notes
- Bone-in pork chops tend to stay juicier and bring a little more flavour, though thick boneless chops will also work.
- Use a dry cider rather than a sweet one, otherwise the sauce can become cloying once the apples are added.
- If the sauce thickens too much, loosen it with a small splash of stock or cider before serving.