Drunken Devils on Horseback

Name: Drunken Devils on Horseback
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 12 rashers of Dry-Cured Smoked Streaky Bacon; 500ml bottle of cheap, dark rum (not spiced); 3 fresh bay leaves; 24 large, plump prunes (stoneless); black pepper; a dribble of olive oil

By Valentine Warner

Riders of the Apocalypse is an alternative recipe title, W**kers on Horseback…perhaps not so seasonal!

Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

12 rashers of Dry-Cured Smoked Streaky Bacon
500ml bottle of cheap, dark rum (not spiced)
3 fresh bay leaves
24 large, plump prunes (stoneless)
black pepper
a dribble of olive oil

Method

Sit the prunes and bay leaves in a tight-fitting jar that owns a lid and pour the rum over them. Put the lid on and leave for at least four weeks, upending the jar from time to time. NOTE: This is why a tight lid is essential.
Take each rasher of bacon and laying them on a board, gently straighten it out by running the knife blade over the bacon and away from you.
Once stretched out, cut each rasher in half.
When needed, take out each prune and wrap it around with the bacon, leaving the end of the rasher on the underside of the prune.
Lay each onto the bottom of a roasting tray.
Go over them all with a good grind of black pepper and a dribble of the oil.
Roast at 200°C in the oven until the bacon begins to colour but is not entirely crispy.
Serve alongside all the other accompanying goodies or eat as a nibble with a good winter punch or hot cider.
NOTE: If the rashers are very long, then you may only need one slice per two prunes but your call. I like the prunes to be more wrapped up tight than be loosely held in a single ‘band’ that can fall off

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Valentine Warner

Valentine Warner is a chef, food writer, broadcaster and business owner with a deep-rooted interest in nature, travel and provincial food. He describes his cooking style as “International Grandmother,” blending a strong sense of storytelling with an infectious love of cookery.

Val has a deep respect for ingredients, both wild and cultivated, and an instinctive ability to turn whatever’s available into something hearty, wholesome and satisfying. A firm advocate of native food sources, he shares common ground with Swaledale in championing meat that is flavourful, ethical and high welfare.

Originally trained as a portrait painter, Val has authored five cookbooks, run his own catering company, and is co-owner of Taqueria, a well-loved Mexican café in West London. He is also a partner in Hepple Distillery in Northumberland and Holmen Lofoten, a hotel on Arctic Norway’s Lofoten islands.