PIGS IN BLANKETS
Our December seasonal plate with Ali Duncombe, Head chef at Fern, Uppingham
SEASONAL PLATES_
PIGS IN BLANKETS
December
Some dishes belong to a particular moment in the year. Pigs in blankets is one of them. In the first of our Seasonal Plates series, Ali Duncombe, head chef at Fern in Uppingham, approaches a festive favourite with the same care as any signature dish.
Built around a single prize pig secured at Uppingham Fatstock Day and butchered by Launde Farm, everything here is made with clear intent. Sausages are prepared in house, wrapped with house-cured bacon, and flavoured with chestnut, sage, thyme and cranberry. They are served with a smooth nutmeg pomme purée, a sharp cranberry compote, and finished with a deep pork jus built slowly from bones.
This is pigs in blankets given the space to be what it really is. A seasonal plate in its own right.
Good butcher-bought sausages work very well too, for anyone not ambitious enough to make and stuff their own at home.
If this dish finds its way onto your table, we would love to see it. Share on social using #notswoldstable and tag @notswolds.
Ali’s version is currently on the menu at Fern in Uppingham.
Book a table at fernrestaurant.co.uk and follow @fern_uppingham.
Makes_ 12 large sausages to serve 6 as a main
Prep time_ 2 to 3 hours, depending on your relationship with sausage casings and whether you stop to make tea.
Cooking time_ Several hours, ideally spread across an afternoon. Best attempted with music on, the oven already warm, and a bottle of wine opened early. The jus alone will happily take up most of the day.
Total time_ An unhurried day in the kitchen, with long pauses, short triumphs, and something good bubbling away at all times.
Difficulty_ Ambitious. Very achievable if you enjoy process and don’t mind washing up. Considerably more manageable if you start with good butcher-bought sausages and focus your energy on accompaniments. Sometimes adding nutmeg to your mash is enough…
Ingredients
For the pigs in blankets
1kg sausage meat
15 sage leaves
Pinch salt and pepper
4 tbsp cranberry compote
1 onion & 1 garlic bulb (both caramelised)
12 rashers streaky bacon
50g roasted chestnuts, deshelled
To wrap
Thinly sliced streaky bacon
For the jus
1kg pork bones
1kg veal bones
2 carrots
1 celery stick
1 onion
1 leek
1 garlic bulb
3 litres water
For the cranberry compote
200g fresh cranberries
100g dried cranberries
300ml orange juice
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tbsp mixed spice
4 tbsp dark brown sugar
For the nutmeg pomme purée
250g Maris Piper potatoes
Dash double cream
3 cubes butter
Pinch salt and pepper
Pinch nutmeg
Method
To make the pigs in blankets
Finely chop or dice the onion and garlic and sauté until golden. Allow to cool. Roughly chop the sage and chestnuts and add to the sausage meat along with the cooled onion and garlic. Season well and add the cranberry compote. No breadcrumbs or eggs are needed.
Fill sausage casings to the desired length and thickness. Pinch and twist to form sausages. Wrap each sausage in streaky bacon, stretching the bacon slightly as you wrap.
Roast the sausages at 190C for 25 minutes, or until they reach an internal core temperature of 72C.
To make the cranberry compote
Put all the cranberry compote ingredients into a saucepan. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, then remove the cinnamon sticks.
To make the nutmeg pomme purée
Peel and boil the potatoes until very soft. Mash well, then pass through a sieve. Add the cream and melted butter and season to taste. Sprinkle in nutmeg gradually, using a very small amount, tasting as you go.
To make the jus
Roast all the bones in the oven for 30 minutes until well roasted and golden. Roughly chop all the vegetables, leaving the skins on, and roast them for 30 minutes as well. Add the bones and vegetables to a large pan. Deglaze the roasting trays with hot water and add this to the pan. Add the remaining water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 hours. Sieve and strain the liquid, then reduce further until the desired thickness and flavour is reached.
To assemble and serve
Spoon generously, arrange without overthinking it, and garnish with fresh thyme or parsley. Best served at a full and jolly table.
Visit Fern, Uppingham
Ali’s version is currently on the menu at Fern in Uppingham. Book your table via fernuppingham.co.uk | @fern_uppingham.
RECOMMEND A CHEF
Know a chef, cook, or kitchen doing interesting things in the region? Tell us who we should cook with next at hq@notswolds.com.
SHARE YOUR SEASONAL PLATE
If this dish found its way onto your table, we would love to see it. Share on social using #notswoldstable and tag @notswolds.
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