Grilled pork chops with an apple and cheese crust

Neil's mum is a champion of simple British foods. if you were to read Enid Blyton's Famous five or Mallory Towers, you would recognise the same type of cooking, mid 20th century plain, homey style meals like Shepherd's pie, boiled ham and bacon and eggs. I tend to use more condiments and seasonings, but she is typical of many British home cooks.

I have been exposed to the food of many different cultures and incorporate elements of it into my own cooking, fusing different cuisines and experimenting with new ingredients that I find. I am obsessed, I know, but many British cooks, like my mother in law, do not have this concept of cooking. Meals are to be enjoyed but are principally for fuel, designed to fill you up with carbohydrates and provide warmth and sustenance for the day ahead. This kind of cooking has an honesty and charm that really satisfies and is highlighted by chefs such as Fergus Henderson or Hugh Fearnly Whittingstall. As long as the raw ingredients are good, there doesn't need to be any fussing or messing around.

Sometimes, at my mother in law's, I lend a hand in the kitchen, feeling my creativity get the better of me and a desire to make something a little fancier overwhelm me. Three chunky British pork chops loomed large on the grill pan, ready to be plainly cooked without even a lick of salt and pepper. Good as they always are, I felt the need to create a little extra flavour and found an apple and some Cheddar in the fridge.

Forgetting how potent Colman's mustard is, I liberally spread a good teaspoon on each chop after they had been seasoned and grilled until crispy on both sides. Neil almost choked, even before he had eaten a bite and spluttered that that was far too much, I should scrape most of it off. I did, until there was only the merest slick of it left. A thinly sliced apple and a large handful of Cheddar finished off the topping and the chops were blasted again under the grill until golden and bubbling.

The meat itself is always succulent and sweetly flavoured, but the mustard adds a little spicy heat, the apples a little tangy sourness and the cheese a little of that element hard to describe, umami seems to be the fashionable word of choice, so I'll use that. Very important for a good British chop dinner, is to grill them until the fat is golden brown and crispy. You may sacrifice a little juice inside but you certainly do not want flabby, soft fat. That is a crime.

One last thing I really wanted to share with you are these insanely good potatoes my mother in law cooks. After par-boiling them, draining and fluffing them lightly by shaking the pan, she deep fries them. That's right, deep fried. I don't know where this idea came from and certainly don't know anyone else who does it, but the result of crisp exterior and fluffy inside is not dissimilar to a chip, albeit in very large form. I wouldn't suggest eating these more than once a week, (or month even), imagining that the fat content is incredibly high, but a treat now and then is always welcome.

Recipe : Pork chops with apple and cheese crust

One large bone in pork chop for each person you are feeding. 

1/8 tsp hot mustard for each chop, or 1/2 tsp if you are using Dijon, grainy or other types.

1 apple, peeled, cored and cut into thin slices

A good handful of cheese for each chop

Place the chops on a grilling pan, season with salt and pepper and grill on high heat (broil) until cooked and crispy, turning once or twice.

Remove the chops from the heat and spread the mustard over each one. Share the apple slices between each chop, layering them in one layer and then cover with the handful of cheese for each chop.

Pop them back under the grill and blast until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

Some alternatives to try with plain pork chops:

You could try pear instead of the apple or a mixture of both.

A few sage leaves tucked under the apples would add a herby, earthy flavour.

Apple sauce could be used instead of the apples and mustard.

You could experiment with other cheeses such as Brie, mozzarella or even blue cheese, (then you'd really have a umami kick).