Lemon & sage stuffed loin of pork

‘Part of the joy of leaving London after 20 years and coming home to coastal Kent is getting to spend more time sitting down and eating with my family – and that’s never more important than on Sundays. I’m not talking about anything fancy, just friends and kids sitting around the table while I cook a roast with lots of seasonal veg.

‘I’m very lucky living in Kent, as the local produce is outstanding, such as the pork. It is reared in orchards where the pigs are fed the windfall apples.’ Mark Sargeant WANT TO GET AHEAD?

You can prep the potatoes up to 2 days in advance and keep them in the fridge until ready to roast. But if you don’t have time, cook them on the day, cool to room temperature, then put in the freezer for 30 mins to chill before roasting.

The pastry case can be baked up to 1 day in advance – cool and keep in an airtight tin. The case can be flled and baked on the morning of the day you are eating, then left to cool and set.

You can prepare the carrots and store them in the fridge overnight after step 1.

The loin of pork can be stuffed and rolled the night before serving. Loin is my favourite cut to roast as it has that beautiful ‘eye’ of meat and the right amount of crackling. Caramelised apples with cider (see recipe, right) and 100g pack of watercress, to serve (optional)

1 Heat oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 9. With a sharp knife, score the skin of the pork in a criss-cross pattern (or ask your butcher to do this). Turn it around so that the fesh side is facing upwards, then cut a slit along the side of the loin, without cutting all the way through, to open it out like a book. Cover the fesh with the lemon zest, sage and parsley, then scatter over the garlic. Season generously and drizzle over 1 tsp olive oil. Roll up the loin and secure tightly with string in 3-4cm intervals. Rub the scored skin with the malt vinegar (which helps it to crackle), then with a large pinch of salt and the remaining oil. Place the pork on the bones (if you have them) on a baking tray and roast for 15-20 mins until the skin is golden and starting to crackle. 2 After 15 mins, reduce the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and roast for about 1 hr until the pork is tender and very slightly pink in the middle. Rest in a warm place for 10-15 mins before carving. Serve with the apples and some watercress, if you like. PER SERVING 542 kcals • fat 35g • saturates 12g • carbs 1g • sugars none • fbre 1g • protein 55g • salt 0.3g