Old Winchester and ham croquettes with apple relish

Prep time: 1 hour, plus 3 hours chilling time Cook time: 30 minutes

Makes about 38

Old Winchester is so strong in flavour, it’s perfect for croquettes. Be sure to make a thick sauce, otherwise you won’t be able to shape the croquettes or deep-fry them. The oil must be at the right temperature and the croquettes well coated in breadcrumbs. Cheddar could be used here too.

The apple relish recipe produces more than you need for serving with the croquettes, but you might as well make this amount. Keep it for serving with pork.

You can also leave the apple relish out and just serve the croquettes as they are.

INGREDIENTS

– 50g butter

– ½ medium onion, finely chopped

– 145g plain flour

– 435ml milk

– 70g Old Winchester cheese, grated

– 135g ham hock, or thick-sliced ham cut into little chunks

– ¾ tsp English mustard

– 3 large eggs, lightly beaten

– 200g dry white breadcrumbs

– groundnut oil, for deep-frying

For the relish

– 600g Bramley apples, peeled, cored and sliced

– 150ml British cider

– 1 tbsp lemon juice

– 1 tbsp cider vinegar

(or more if needed)

– 3-4 tbsp soft lightbrown sugar

– ½ cinnamon stick

– good pinch of chilli flakes

METHOD

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium-low heat. Sauté the onion gently until soft but not coloured. Stir in 70g of flour. Reduce the heat to low and cook the mixture, stirring all the time, for a couple of minutes. You just want the flour to become sandy-coloured. Take it off the heat.

In a separate pan, heat the milk to simmering, then immediately take it off the heat. Gradually add the milk to the onion mixture, starting with a very small amount. As you add it, stir with a wooden spoon to keep the mixture smooth.

Set the pan back on the heat and cook, stirring all the time, until the mix has thickened. Turn the heat down low and cook for four minutes, stirring from time to time to ensure the sauce doesn’t catch. Add the cheese, ham and mustard, stir and season (this is extremely important). The mixture must be thick, or it will not ‘set’ enough to fry.

Scrape the mix into a small roasting tin or dish, spreading it out with a spatula. Leave to cool completely, then cover it with cling film and put it in the fridge. It will be ready to shape in three hours, or keep it in the fridge overnight.

To make the relish, put all the ingredients in a pan and cook gently, crushing the apple with the back of a wooden spoon, until soft. Remove the cinnamon and leave to cool. Taste to check if you want more sugar or vinegar.

Put the remaining flour in a soup plate, the eggs in another and the breadcrumbs on a plate. Using wet hands, shape the cheese mix into balls the size of a walnut (in its shell). Roll each in flour, shaking off the excess, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Place on a lightly floured baking sheet, cover loosely with cling film and put in the fridge to firm up.

Heat the oil to 180C in a large saucepan, filling it a third full. If you don’t have a thermometer, test it by throwing in a cube of bread; it should turn golden in 30 seconds.

Fry the croquettes in batches of five for 2-3 minutes, keeping a close eye on them – you don’t want them to get too dark before the centre is hot. Try to keep the temperature steady. You might have to pull the pan off the heat at times. Scoop the croquettes out with a slotted spoon on to a double layer of kitchen paper to blot up excess oil. Transfer to a warm plate and serve with the relish.