Gammon Hock, Asparagus , Poached Egg, Chive Mayonnaise on Walnut Bread

Finally I have laid my hands on some British Asparagus, great big fat stalks of sweetness , although I had seen some in the farm shop in Bristol this past week is was pretty pricey £5 for 6. My local greengrocers up here in the Midlands had it for just £1.49 for 10 stalks – grown locally too.

To show off the asparagus at its best I planned a best of British Full Monty Supper – a fancy take on ham, egg and chips .

For the ham, I picked up some gammon hock, its a value cut ( my butchers sells it for just 1.50). It requires a long simmer but once cooked you are left with plenty of tasty meat and stock which delicious to make into a pie or have the meat cold in sandwiches or classic ploughmans

For the egg , I was thinking of going down the eggs benedict route -  hollandaise sauce with a poached egg but am a bit scared of hot butter so instead I went for homemade mayonnaise , scented with chives ( but tarragon would work too) picked from the riverbank where they grow wild.

For the chips the asparagus serves to dip in the egg simply steamed
for a few minutes. I did need a little bread to wipe the plate clean and used a slice of toasted walnut bread. This dish was eaten in seconds with plenty of dribbling yolk and mayonnaise.

Poached Egg

In a deep frying pan bring the water to a gentle boil
Turn off the heat and add the egg
Leave for a few minutes until opaque

Chive Mayonnaise
2 egg yolk
1 tbsp of Dijon mustard
Pinch of salt
4 tbsp of white wine vinegar
150ml of olive oil
150ml of sunflower oil
3 tbsp of fresh chive finely chopped

1. Put the egg yolks into the bowl with the Dijon mustard and the salt and whisk well until smooth.
2. Gradually add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking all the time. You should have a smooth, quite thick mayonnaise that stands in peaks.
3. Add the white wine vinegar to taste and briefly whisk.
4. Add the chopped chives

Boiled Gammon Hock
1 gammon hock
1 pint of chicken/pork stock
1 pint of boiling water
1 medium onion cut into quarters
1 tsp of fennel seeds
6 cloves
2 bay leaves
3 cloves of garlic
Fresh herbs ( chives , tarragon thyme)

1. Place the gammon hock in a large pan
2. Add the onions, garlic , bay leaves, fennel seeds, herbs and cloves
3. Pour over the stock & water
4. Cover the pan and bring to a gentle simmer
5. Simmer for 2 hours
6. Once cooled remove from the pan and peel off the fat
7. The cooking water can be allowed

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