Ham Hock & Parsley Terrine with Quick Piccalilli

⏱ 270 min · Serves 8

A proper British classic: slow-simmered ham hock shredded into a glossy, mustardy jelly, packed with a small forest of flat-leaf parsley and pressed overnight into neat pink-and-green slices. Served with a sharp, turmeric-yellow piccalilli made from scratch, it's the kind of starter that makes people think you've hired a chef.

Per serving: 352 kcal · 36.0g protein · 16.5g carbs · 15.5g fat

Ingredients

• 2 smoked ham hocks (about 1.2kg each)
• 1 onion, halved
• 1 carrot, halved
• 2 celery sticks
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 4 sheets leaf gelatine (about 8g)
• 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 60g flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• 2 shallots, very finely diced
• Freshly ground black pepper
• For the piccalilli:
• 200g cauliflower, cut into tiny florets
• 1 small courgette, diced
• 100g green beans, cut into 1cm lengths
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 20g fine salt
• 300ml cider vinegar
• 80g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp English mustard powder
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• To serve: sourdough toast and cornichons

Method

1. Put the ham hocks in a large pot with the onion, carrot, celery, bay and peppercorns. Cover with cold water and bring to a bare simmer. Cook very gently for 3 hours, skimming, until the meat slips off the bone. Lift out the hocks and cool slightly.
2. Strain the cooking liquor, then boil 600ml of it hard until reduced to 400ml. Taste — it should be savoury but not aggressively salty; dilute with water if needed.
3. Meanwhile make the piccalilli: toss the cauliflower, courgette, beans and onion with the salt and leave 1 hour. Rinse very well and drain.
4. Whisk the sugar, mustard powder, turmeric, coriander and cornflour with a splash of the vinegar to a paste, then whisk in the rest of the vinegar. Bring to a simmer, stirring, until thickened and glossy. Stir in the vegetables, cook 2 minutes so they stay crunchy, then cool. Chill.
5. Soak the gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes. Squeeze out and whisk into the hot reduced stock with both mustards and the vinegar. Season with pepper.
6. Shred the warm ham into rough, generous pieces, discarding skin, bone and excess fat. Mix with the parsley and shallots.
7. Line a 900g loaf tin with cling film, leaving plenty of overhang. Pack in the ham mixture in layers, pressing gently, then pour over the stock a ladle at a time, tapping the tin so it seeps through. It should just cover the meat.
8. Fold over the cling film, sit a board and a couple of tins on top and chill at least 8 hours, ideally overnight.
9. Turn out, peel off the cling film and cut thick slices with a hot, sharp knife. Serve with piccalilli, cornichons and hot sourdough toast.