Pork, Fennel & Leek Lasagne

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C (fan)/ gas 6 and boil a kettle

Peel and finely dice your brown onion[s], then top, tail, and dice your carrot[s] finely (no need to peel!)

Chop your leek[s] in half lengthways, then wash to remove any grit from between the leaves then top, tail and slice finely

Strip your thyme leaves from the stems, chop finely and discard the stems

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick), with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat

Once hot, add the diced onion, sliced leek and diced carrot along with a pinch of salt and cook for 4-5 min until beginning to soften

Crumble your white cup mushrooms into rough chunks

Once soft, add your pork mince (remove the paper if required!) and crumbled mushrooms to the pan and cook for 8-10 min or until the pork is cooked through (no pink meat!)

Dissolve your beef stock mix and tomato paste in 250ml [350ml] [450ml] boiled water – this is your tomato stock

Peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic

Once the pork is cooked, add the chopped garlic, chopped thyme and a generous grind of black pepper and cook for 30 secs or until fragrant

Once fragrant, add the tomato stock and cook for 5-7 min or until slightly thickened – this is your pork ragù

Meanwhile, melt 15g [22g] [30g] butter in a pot over a medium heat

Once melted, add your fennel seeds and cook for 30 secs or until fragrant

Once fragrant, add 15g [22g] [30g] flour and stir with a wooden spoon for 1 min or until a sandy paste forms – this is your roux

Gradually add 100ml [150ml] [200ml] milk and 150ml [225ml] [300ml] water to the roux and whisk for 5 min or until a smooth, thick sauce remains

Grate your cheddar cheese

Remove the pot from the heat, season with a very generous pinch of salt and pepper and stir through half the grated cheddar – this is your cheesy fennel béchamel

Layer some of the pork ragù over the bottom of an oven-proof dish, then top with some of your lasagne sheets (be careful not to overlap the pasta!)

Repeat this process until you end up with a final layer of lasagne sheets

Tip: You may need to layer differently depending on the size of your dish!

Cover with the cheesy fennel béchamel and top with the remaining grated cheese

Put the dish in the oven and cook for 30 min or until the pasta is cooked and the top is golden – this is your pork, fennel & leek lasagne