Mangalitza pork pie and Pomerol

I often get asked what the best pairing for a serious red wine is and I don’t think the people who pose the question would expect the answer 'pork pie'.

But this is the second time I’ve accompanied a pie with a top Bordeaux and it was absolutely magnificent.

The pie wasn’t just any old pork pie obviously but a freshly baked Mangalitza pork and prune pie from Coombeshead Farm in Cornwall, one of the places I’m most looking forward to returning to when we can travel again.

They rear the mangalitza pigs, which are a slow-growing cross between a Hungarian breed and a wild boar and have the most incredible flavour. You can only get it as part of the Mangalitza & Co pork box which also includes sausages, bacon and the most outrageously fatty but delicious pork chops*. They don’t mention deliveries after the end of February so may have limited availability

The wine was a 2007 La Conseillante Pomerol I bought about 8 years ago from Tesco when they were doing a fine wine promotion. It had been kept in less than ideal conditions but was still gloriously vibrant and velvety. The 2007 now costs about £70 - I certainly didn’t pay anything like that for it! I’m not sure it wasn’t under £20.

See also What food to pair with red Bordeaux

* According to the British Pig Association, mangalitzas used to be known as the ‘lard pig’. You can see some fabulous photos of them on their site

I paid for the Mangalitza & Co pork box and the wine myself.