91Èȱ¬

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.

2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes until soft and starting to take on some colour. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

3. Put the chicken in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the chopped bacon, oregano, zest, mustard, cream and breadcrumbs, followed by the cooled onion and garlic. Add the egg and stir everything together thoroughly.

4. Take a small piece of the mixture and fry it. Taste and adjust the seasoning and any other flavours accordingly.

5. For the glaze, put all the ingredients into a saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Heat through gently and set aside.

6. Take half the chicken mixture, and mould it onto a baking tray, using the size of a loaf pan for guidance and making it as even as you can. Put the cheese down the centre, making sure you leave a border all the way round, then top with the remaining chicken mixture, building up round the sides and making sure it is well sealed as you don’t want the cheese leaking out. You should end up with a slightly domed loaf. Brush on some of the glaze.

7. Cut the bacon slices in half and stretch with the back of a knife. Each slice should reach from the base of one side, over the top and to the bottom of the other side. Brush with a little more of the glaze.

8. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove and brush with the remaining glaze. Bake for a further 30 minutes, by which time the meatloaf should be cooked through with nicely crisp bacon. Serve in thick slices.