Ploughman’s Board

1. For the piccalilli vegetables
Place all the vegetables in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle over the salt. Mix well and allow to stand for 40 minutes. Get on with the pork filling while you wait.
2. For the pork filling
Preheat the oven to 190℃.
Place a heavy baking tray lined with greaseproof paper in the oven to preheat.
Mix the meats together with the diced onion, garlic, chopped herbs, spices and salt until everything is incorporated.
3. For the apple filling
Peel, core and finely dice the apple. Dump into a medium mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix well. Set aside while you continue with the recipe.
4. For the pastry
Put a small saucepan over a high heat and add the lard, water, salt and herbs. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and wait for the lard to melt fully.
Tip the flour into the bowl of a food processor. Start the motor and pour in the egg and mix until thoroughly combined.
Remove the herbs from the pan and pour the hot mix into the food processor with the motor running to form a smooth dough - about a minute.
5. For forming the pasties
Tip the dough onto a clean, lightly floured work surface, and moving quickly, roll out into an even rectangle 3mm thick. Cut out 2 x 24cm disks.
Working one at a time, place 3 tbsp of pork filling on one third of a disk, leaving a gap around the edge of the pastry. Add 1 tbsp of the apple filling at the end of the pork. Brush around the perimeter of the pastry circle with a little water, then fold the pastry over the two fillings and seal firmly. Starting at one side, crimp the edges over to form a sealed D-shaped pasty. Repeat with the remaining fillings and pastry disk.
Brush the pasties with a beaten egg, then make a steam hole in the center with a sharp knife.
Gently transfer the glazed pasties to the preheated baking tray and bake for 40-50 minutes until dark golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
6. For the piccalilli sauce
In a large saucepan on a high heat, bring the vinegar, water, spices and mustard seeds to the boil. Add all the vegetables and cook on a gentle boil for 3 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, drain off the vegetables onto a clean tray and leave to cool. Remove the liquid from the heat.
With a whisk, in a small bowl, mix the sugar, mustard powder and plain flour with a little warm water to make a thin paste, then whisk this into the hot (but not boiling) cooking liquid.
Bring back to a boil, then reduce the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, whisking from time to time to ensure it doesn’t catch on the bottom.
Place your cooked vegetables into a suitable container and pour over the hot thickened liquid.
7. For the rye crispbreads
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Put the flour in a large bowl. Add the salt, baking powder, seeds, honey and butter. Mix thoroughly, then start slowly adding the water, stirring until you have a soft dough.
Generously flour a work surface and turn out the dough. Roll the dough out thinly (2mm) into an even rectangle. Cut out 8 rectangles.
Place the rectangles on the baking sheets and prick the crispbreads all over with a fork, brush with egg white and scatter over optional additional seeds.
Bake for 12 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 160℃ and continue to bake for 5 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Remove and leave to cool on a wire rack.
8. For the vegetable crisps
Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer to 150℃.
Peel the carrots and parsnips. Using the peeler, slice long strips down the whole length of the vegetables. Gently lower into the fryer and stir to separate all the strips. Fry for 4-6 minutes until lightly browned and crisp. Drain onto a paper towel-lined tray, season with salt and pepper and allow to cool.
9. For the pickled onions
Peel the onions and cut into quarters. Break each quarter down into petals by separating the individual layers.
Combine the beer, vinegar, sugar, honey, juniper, thyme and tarragon in a large pan and bring to the boil. Add the onions and remove from the heat
Cover tightly with cling film as this will allow the onions to steam and soften slightly in the liquid. Leave the onions to cool in the liquid before serving at room temperature.
10. For the carrot top and mint sauce
Bring the water, sugar and salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the carrot tops and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Transfer everything to a blender along with the mint and purée until smooth. Allow to cool, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
11. To serve
Arrange the cooled pasties, piccalilli, crispbreads, pickled onions, vegetable crisps, carrot top sauce and cheese on a board and tuck in.