Pork Tenderloin Medallions in Mushroom Sauce

Last Updated on March 17, 2025

Autumnal comfort in a flash with pork tenderloin medallions pimped up with a posh mushroom sauce.

It’s that time of year when the word ‘comfort’ seems to fit perfectly with any dish I fancy eating.  Comfort food should be satisfying and simple to make, something that has all the familiarity of an old blanket and yet something we crave when fancier dishes just don’t seem to hit the mark. Tenderloin is one of my favourite cuts of pork. The anatomical equivalent to the fillet of beef, it’s actually still something of a budget buy.  Mine came as part of a delivery from Swaledale Butchers – they currently have 300g tenderloin for sale at £6.60 – enough for 3 people and the kind of meat that you can save for a frugal but posh supper.  I like tenderloin cooked in a number of different ways.  You can slice off medallions and beat them out before coating them in flour, egg and breadcrumbs to make a schnitzel.  Or, stuff your tenderloin with mushrooms, ham, sage or whatever combination takes your fancy, tie it up carefully and roast in the oven, making sure you baste well to stop this delicate, low-fat cut from drying out.  Or, perhaps easiest of all, cut medallions from the pork loin, season them well, pan fry them briefly in butter and olive oil and then serve with the sauce of your choice.

One of the reasons I like the meat from Swaledale so much is that it’s all fresh and can be frozen if you don’t want to eat everything straight away.  And the minimum order value with free delivery is £60, which makes it a realistic option for a small household like mine. In addition to the posh stuff (last time I was sent grouse!), they have some great value cuts of meat, offal and stock bones together with stunning sausages and a few interesting cuts that I can seldom get hold of (I’ll be cooking their smoked hock of ham next!).  Finally, you’ll be buying great meat from God’s own country – the Yorkshire Dales are one of the most unspoilt parts of England.  Their meat comes from grass-fed animals, carefully prepared and butchered to order – what could be better?

This particular recipe needs a handful of ingredients.  A glass or two of dry white wine, some button mushrooms, an onion, some double cream and a handful of fresh thyme for the sauce, butter and olive oil, salt pepper and mustard for seasoning and of course a pork tenderloin.

Start by taking your pork out of the fridge an hour or so before you want to cook.  As with all dishes that are cooked quickly, it’s a good idea to have any ingredients at room temperature before you start so that you don’t end up overcooking the outside of the meat in order to get the centre to the right temperature.  Slice it into 1/2-inch thick medallions and season each one well with salt and pepper.  Chop your onion finely and put it into a heavy-based pan along with a glug of oil. 

Sweat the onion till soft and translucent, then add in the thyme leaves stripped from the stalk and trimmed sliced mushrooms.  Add a bit more oil if you like or a pat of butter and continue to cook till the mushrooms are soft. Then add the mustard and white wine and reduce the mixture by at least a half. You can set this to one side while you pan fry the pork medallions, then just stir through the cream, taste and adjust the seasoning and serve on a bed of mash with some seasonal greens with the sauce poured over the medallions.

It’s a really easy dish to put together and will serve three people for less than £10

Here’s a printable recipe 

Disclosure:  I was gifted the pork to make this recipe