ROAST PORK WITH PLUMS & BAY

This delicious, unfussy roast pork is paired with fruit. You could use any stone fruit here, although I love the taste of slightly sharp plums, as they add a sweet-sour flavour when cooked with the soy sauce and garlic. There will be quite a lot of pan juices left over, which you can reduce and use as a sauce.

Preparation 30 minutes, plus resting Cooking 1 hour 45 minutes Serves 4-6 1.8KG-2KG BONELESS ROLLED PORK SHOULDER JUICE OF ½ LEMON

3 TBSP OLIVE OIL

1 TBSP FINE SEA SALT

3 RED ONIONS, HALVED

6 PLUMS, STONED AND HALVED

1½ TBSP FENNEL SEEDS

2 TSP CORIANDER SEEDS

300ML DRY WHITE WINE

2 TBSP HONEY

1 TBSP SOY SAUCE

4 GARLIC CLOVES

6 BAY LEAVES

3 FIGS, HALVED (OPTIONAL)

ROAST POTATOES AND VEGETABLES, TO SERVE

1 Preheat the oven to 240°C (220°C fan oven) gas mark 9. 2 Using a sharp knife, score the skin of the pork all over, ensuring you don’t cut into the meat. Pat the skin dry with a paper towel, then leave the meat to sit for 20 minutes. Squeeze the lemon over the skin and leave to sit for a further 10 minutes.

3 Spoon some of the olive oil onto the pork skin, then massage the salt into the skin.

4 Put the onions, half the plums and the fennel and coriander seeds into a large roasting tin. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and toss to coat. Sit the pork on top and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the crackling is crisp and golden brown.

5 Turn the oven down to 180°C (160°C fan oven) gas mark 4. Whisk the wine with the honey and soy sauce and pour it around the pork, then add the garlic, bay leaves, the rest of the plums and the figs, if using, and continue to cook for 30 minutes per 500g meat, or until the pork is cooked through (check that the juices run clear when the meat is pricked with a knife). Remove the pork from the oven and transfer to a cutting board with the fruit and onions. Leave to rest for 15-20 minutes.

6 Assess how much liquid there is in the roasting tin – if there is a lot, ladle some of it out (refrigerate for another dish). Bring the remaining juices to the boil over a medium-high heat. Reduce by at least half. Once thickened, remove from the heat.

7 Serve the roast pork with the plums, sauce, roast potatoes and your favourite vegetables.