Ingredients

• 2 onions
• roughly chopped
• 2 sticks celery
• thinly sliced
• small bunch fresh sage
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 x 400g/14oz cans butterbeans in water
• rinsed and drained
• 4 thick pork shoulder steaks
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 400ml/14fl oz dry cider
• 100ml/3½fl oz strong
• good quality chicken stock
• 30g/1oz butter
• 1 Braeburn apple
• peeled
• 1 tsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp cold water until smooth
• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

Directions

• Place the onions
• celery and five shredded sage leaves in a slow cooker
• then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Scatter with the butterbeans.
• Season the pork steaks with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan then fry the pork until golden-brown on both sides. Transfer to the slow cooker.
• Pour the cider and stock into the frying pan
• then bring to the boil. Pour over the pork
• put the lid on
• then cook on low for seven hours until tender and surrounded with sauce.
• Cut the apple into eight wedges and cut away the core. Heat the butter in a frying pan
• then add the butter and fry for 8-10 minutes until golden-brown and just tender. Add about 15 more sage leaves
• turn up the heat and fry until the leaves are crisp.
• Lift the pork steaks from the slow cooker and set aside in a serving dish. Mix the cornflour paste and the mustard into the beans and stir till the sauce thickens a little. Transfer the sauce to the serving dish with the pork
• top with the apples and crisp fried sage. Serve with crusty bread and a crisp green salad.