Pressed PIG with pickled walnuts

Wherever there’s a PIG, you’ll always find piggy bits on our menu. These small plates use the very best parts of the pig, whether it’s saddleback crackling, salt and pepper pig’s ears or pea and ham hummus. 

James Golding, our chef director across THE PIGs, is an advocate of using less popular cuts of this brilliant meat. He’s developed an exclusive recipe for pressed PIG terrines, to be accompanied by pickled walnuts and nasturtium flowers.

March is a great time to plant nasturtiums, and as they will grow quickly in poor soil without fertilisers, they’re a perfect addition (or starting point!) to your kitchen garden. The flowers add a peppery zing to dishes, while adding a welcome pop of colour – making them an excellent garnish for meals throughout spring and summer.

The pressed PIG terrines will need 8 hours to set in the fridge, so be sure to get them prepared a day early.

To make terrines as a starter for 3-4 people, you’ll need:

2 ham hocks
6 pig cheeks
2kg mirepoix (diced onions, celery and carrots)
10g white peppercorns
2 bay leaves
Half a bunch of thyme
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Half a bunch of par-cel, chopped (or use flat-leaf parsley)
4 gelatine leaves
10 pickled walnuts, to serve
Blue nasturtiums, to serve

To make the terrines: 

1. Add 1tbsp olive oil to a large pan over a low-medium heat. Add the chopped onions, celery and carrots, along with the white peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme and garlic cloves and sweat for around 5-6 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.

2. Add the meat to the pan and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and leave to cook for two and half hours, covered.

3. Leave to cool, then remove the meat and pass the stock through a sieve, reserving the liquid. Blast both the meat and strained stock in the freezer for 30 minutes.

4. Skim any fat off the top of the stock and thicken with gelatine, using three leaves per pint of stock. Pick the meat, removing any fat or bone. 

5. Line terrine moulds with grease spray and double-layered cling film.

6. Add the chopped par-cel (or parsley) to the meat mix, along with a little of the stock. Pack the mix into the moulds, cover with stock and leave to set in the fridge for 8 hours.

7. Warm a knife and cut terrines into 1cm-thick slices. Serve with the pickled walnuts, blue nasturtiums and Colman’s dressing, as below.

For the dressing:

5tbsp Colman’s mustard
2tbsp white wine vinegar
100ml rapeseed oil
Salt and pepper 

To make the dressing:

1. Add the mustard and vinegar into a food processor and blend. 

2. Slowly add the oil for your desired consistency and season. If the dressing gets too thick, you can thin it out with warm water.

If you make James’ pressed PIG recipe, be sure to share snaps of your creation with us. Show us your photos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and don’t forget to tag them with #ThePigHotel and #piggythings