SLOW COOKER

Prep this dish in the morning and get a head start on Sunday lunch this weekend

Try our warming honey & mustard pork loin

Slow cooker honey & mustard pork loin

SERVES 4-6 PREP 30 mins plus at least 2 hrs marinating COOK 5-6 hrs EASY

1½ tsp fennel seeds

2 garlic cloves

5-6 thyme sprigs

2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil about 1.8kg pork loin, skin removed and fat well scored (cut from the thicker end of the joint)

300g shallots

1 small celeriac, peeled, quartered and cut into chunks

2 eating apples (such as Braeburns or Cox's), peeled, cored and cut into wedges

150ml white wine

250ml chicken or pork stock

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 Lightly crush the fennel, garlic and the leaves of 3 thyme sprigs in a pestle and mortar. Add 1 tbsp of the oil and season well, then bash to a rough paste. Rub the mixture over the pork, then cover and chill for at least 2 hrs, or for up to 24 hrs.

2 Set your slow cooker to a low heat. Pour a kettleful of boiling water over the shallots and leave to soak for 2 mins, then drain and rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle (this will make them easier to peel). Cut off the roots and prise off the papery skins.

3 Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan or casserole dish large enough to fit the pork joint. Brown the shallots for a few mins, then tip into the slow cooker. Add the celeriac and apples, then season well and mix.

4 Put the pork in the pan and brown really well on all sides, then transfer to the slow cooker, resting it fat-side up on top of the veg mixture. Pour the wine into the pan and bubble for 1 min. Add the stock, honey and mustard and bubble for

1 min more, then pour the mixture over the pork. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hrs.

If you’re home, turn the meat and stir the veg halfway through cooking.

5 Lift the pork out of the slow cooker, wrap in foil and leave to rest for 10 mins before carving. Serve with the cooked veg and some greens, if you like

GOOD TO KNOW 1 of 5-a-day

PER SERVING (6) 597 kcals • fat 41g • saturates 13g • carbs 9g • sugars 9g • fibre 4g • protein 42g • salt 0.7g