North London Food & Culture

Kentishtowner Kitchen: Ham Hock Terrine by Colonel Fawcett’s Dorian Kirk


Ham Hock terrine This is a recipe to impress people as it looks very smart. It can be prepared a few days in advance ready to assemble on the day.

It’s a take on the great British classic gammon, pineapple and fried egg, but we have refined it to fit our style here at the Colonel Fawcett.

The light spiced chutney gives it fantastic flavour for this time of year. Don’t be alarmed at the amount of ingredients in the chutney: this is what I use and is provided as a guideline, but I advise you be creative with the spices lying around in your cupboards.


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For the terrine

1 Whole ham hock
1 bay leaf
5 pepper corns
1 carrot
1 onion (cut in half)
A few sprigs of thyme
½ bunch flat leaf parsley
¼ bunch of tarragon
½ bunch chives
A few leaves of fresh sage
2 medium pickled onions
Salt and pepper

Method
Place the ham hock in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, drain and refresh the water, add the bay leaf, peppercorns, carrot, onion & thyme. Bring back to the boil, lower the temperature and gently simmer for about 3 hours, or until the bone comes away from the meat easily (ensure the meat is always covered with water). Drain through a sieve but retain 500ml of the cooking liquor, place in another pan and reduce by half on a high heat. When the ham has cooled slightly, gently pick off all the meat and place in a mixing bowl, ensuring that there is no gristle, bone or skin. Finely chop all the herbs & pickled onions, add to the picked ham.

Add about 50 – 100ml of the reduced cooking liquor so the ham mix feels more combined (When chilled this will hold it all together). Season to taste.

On a large flat surface lay out 2 layers of cling film, one on top of the other (about 80cm in length). On the edge of cling film closest to you put the ham mix in a heaped line along the middle 50cm of the cling film. Fold over the cling film and roll it forward so you create a long sausage shape. Twist and tie one end. Push all the mix towards the tied end of the tube to compact the mixture (this should create roughly a 30cm sausage about 5cm in diameter). When it feels firm tie the other end off too. Chill.

Note: you don’t need to roll the ham hock mix, to make your life easier you can place it in a terrine tin lined with cling film and just turn it out after its been chilled.

For the Pineapple Chutney

½ a pineapple
Pinch of saffron
250 ml cider vinegar
150g light brown sugar
½ red mild chilli de-seeded
Salt and pepper

Tied in a muslin cloth
½ cinnamon stick
1 star anise
5 cloves
5 cardamom pods
Pinch fennel seeds
A few juniper berries (optional)
5 peppercorns

Method
Finely dice the pineapple, removing the skin and core. Place in a pan with the other ingredients and put a lid on. Gently cook on a low heat for about 2 ½ – 3 hours stirring regularly. You want quite a thick consistency. If you need a bit more liquid to stop it sticking just add a touch of water from time to time. Season to taste, place in an air tight container or sealed jar (once cooled), you can keep it for up to 2 months.

Place all whole spices in the centre of a 10×10 cm piece of muslin, draw the corners together and tie with string, remove and discard once chutney is ready.

To Garnish

6 free range eggs
6 thin croutons or toasts
A few winter leaves

Method
Gently fry the eggs being sure not to frazzle or catch the white ensuring the yolk is still golden and runny. Slice the ham terrine into about 6 portions, or about 5cm in length. Place a portion on a plate up ended. Trim the egg to the same diameter as the terrine keeping the yolk central. Place the egg on top of the terrine. Season. Garnish with croutons/toasts and leaves.

Find The Colonel Fawcett here on our Nearby map.

A little too tricky for you? Next week: The Fields Beneath’s ‘mum-made’ Granola.


5 thoughts on “Kentishtowner Kitchen: Ham Hock Terrine by Colonel Fawcett’s Dorian Kirk”

  1. he cooked this for me and a couple of friends when they first opened and it was amazeballs, alas the food at the fawcett has been terribly inconsistent ever since…

  2. Hi Claire & Michael,

    I’ve just read your comments which (like Dorian) really sadden me. We feel that we do our upmost to keep the standards of both food and drink served to our customers very high but obviously on occasions, mistakes can be made. In terms of the ‘inconsistencies’ that you speak of, out of everywhere I have every worked this is the place where I have received the least complaints about the food as the actual level that we send food out (often on such a large scale!) is so consistently high. Obviously, I am here on a day to day basis and I don’t doubt either of your experiences but I’d urge you to give us another try!

    Unfortunately, Dorian has left but we have a new team of chefs who are keeping the ethos of his cooking alive, focusing on creating seasonal British food to a very high standard at very affordable prices (our lunch specials are only £6.90!).

    Please check our website and menus and hope to see you both soon!

    Many thanks,

    The Colonel Fawcett

Leave a Comment

5 thoughts on “Kentishtowner Kitchen: Ham Hock Terrine by Colonel Fawcett’s Dorian Kirk”

  1. he cooked this for me and a couple of friends when they first opened and it was amazeballs, alas the food at the fawcett has been terribly inconsistent ever since…

  2. Hi Claire & Michael,

    I’ve just read your comments which (like Dorian) really sadden me. We feel that we do our upmost to keep the standards of both food and drink served to our customers very high but obviously on occasions, mistakes can be made. In terms of the ‘inconsistencies’ that you speak of, out of everywhere I have every worked this is the place where I have received the least complaints about the food as the actual level that we send food out (often on such a large scale!) is so consistently high. Obviously, I am here on a day to day basis and I don’t doubt either of your experiences but I’d urge you to give us another try!

    Unfortunately, Dorian has left but we have a new team of chefs who are keeping the ethos of his cooking alive, focusing on creating seasonal British food to a very high standard at very affordable prices (our lunch specials are only £6.90!).

    Please check our website and menus and hope to see you both soon!

    Many thanks,

    The Colonel Fawcett

Leave a Comment

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