Pig cheeks for tea from Tesco's Finest range.

This evening I gave Tesco's Finest slow cooked pig cheeks a try and as the majority of the cooking was already done for me before I even opened the box it made for a very nice evening meal coupled with an inventive mash created by myself.

The pork came from outdoor reared pigs just the same as the pork products on the meat counter and was described thus on the packaging: Rubbed in a classic Italian blend or fennel seeds, rosemary, sage and thyme and cooked for five hours until the meat is melt in the mouth tender.

The cooking instructions were simple enough: cook for thirty-five minutes in a medium heat oven. The cheeks come with a cooking tray and need taking out of their pouch and cooking for twenty-five minutes. Then they need taking out of the oven and the cooking juices disposed of and then red wine sauce (included) added and cooked for a further ten minutes. I haven't got a microwave but the instructions say that the product isn't suitable to microwave or freeze.

In the interim I made a potato and celery mash and steamed some spinach which I added to the cooked potatoes and celery and mashed all the veg together with a little butter. The box even comes with a wine suggestion and I went the whole hog (yes that was a poor pig joke) and purchased the wine as well. The Tesco's Finest Nero D'Avola red wine from Sicily was just perfect with the meal.

The resultant cooked pig cheeks were extremely tender and fell apart under my fork. They tasted marginally richer than your average pork product and that aspect greatly appealed to me. The herbs and spices used in the original marinade and cooking lent the meat a subtle flavour and juiciness. The red wine sauce provided gave the whole meal a finishing touch. Instead of a mustard accompaniment I added a spoon of Tesco redcurrant jelly to the plate.

@TescoFood