Chef Andy Hilton, head
chef at Arbor restaurant
since 2012
Glazed
Pork Cheek
Cook your pork slowly in cider for
spring-time succulence says arbor’s andy hilton
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It’s not called the Green House for nothing. This
Bournemouth hotel breathes, sleeps and definitely
eats sustainability. Its in-house restaurant, Arbor,
picked up a Sustainable Restaurant Award for being
the most environmentally friendly eatery in the UK
to go with its two AA rosettes and gold award in the
recent Dorset Tourism Awards’ ‘eating out’ category.
“For us, it really is all about the quality of our raw materials,” says chef Andy Hilton. “We’re
passionate about creating dishes that make the most of the world-class produce we have
on the doorstep – when the ingredients are this good, you don’t need to get too fancy about
it. It’s more about combining flavour, texture and colour in new and exciting ways”.
Get a sneak preview of Arbor’s Spring menu, which launches on 20th March, with this
recipe using Crooked Soley pigs, cooked gently to bring out their incredible flavour. After
hours of slow braising in cider, they turn rich and melt-in-the-mouth tender. As Andy
explains, “Pig cheeks are a cheap but incrediblly tasty piece of meat that is best cooked by
braising or slow cooking until they are nearly falling apart.”
Recipe
Time takes a round 3 .5 hours
Ingredients
12 pig cheeks (just the nugget, not the whole
cheek)
2 banana shallots (roughly chopped)
2 cloves of garlic, whole
1 tsp caraway seed
1 star anise
200ml good chicken stock
100ml tomato ketchup
Splash Worcestershire sauce
1 pint cider
1 bay leaf
Tarragon stalks
Seasoning
Method
Brown the cheeks in a pan, and set
them aside. Add all other ingredients
to the pan to remove any bits that may
have caramelized on the bottom of
the pan. Make sure all ingredients are
mixed well. Add the cheeks back to
the mix and cover with a lid or tin foil.
Place in an oven at 170 degrees for
about 2.5 to 3 hours or until soft. Strain
the cooking liquor through a fine sieve.
Bring the gravy back to boil and turn
down to simmer, reduce by half until it
coats a back of a spoon.
Served simply with some creamy
mash and greens with a glug of the
rich gravy. Perfect.
www.menu-dorset.co.uk