Baked, smoked bacon-wrapped sardines with gooseberry and green peppercorn relish by James Mackenzie

Ingredients
(Serves four starter portions)

1 onion, finely sliced
100ml white wine vinegar
150g caster sugar
1tbs green peppercorns
600g gooseberries, top and tailed
8 sardines (head off, scaled, gutted)
8 rashers smoked streaky bacon
Optional: 1tbs chopped herbs

Method

To make the relish, place onion, green peppercorns, vinegar and sugar in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Add gooseberries and cook for about half an hour or until nearly all the liquid has evaporated.

Wrap the sardines in rashers of bacon, place on an oiled baking tray, sprinkle with a few chopped herbs, bake in a very hot oven for 10 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.

Serve two sardines each with the warm relish.

by James Mackenzie, chef-proprietor, the Pipe & Glass Inn, South Dalton, East Yorkshire