SLOW-ROASTED PORK BELLY WITH APPLE SAUCE

This method for roasting pork belly guarantees crispy crackling and tender meat. The spiced apple sauce is the perfect accompaniment, too.

Serves 6-8

1 pork belly on the bone (from large supermarkets or good butchers), about 2-3kg (4lb 8oz-6lb 8oz)

Juice of ¼ of a lemon

Sea salt

25ml (¾fl oz) vegetable oil

For the apple sauce

500g (1lb 2oz) dessert apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped

½tsp ground cinnamon, or to taste

To serve

Roast potatoes and salad Preheat the oven to 240°C/fan 220°C/ gas 8. Using a very sharp knife, score the skin of the pork belly widthways in lines about 1cm (½in) apart. Don’t cut all the way through to the meat or it will burn.

Place the scored pork belly, skin-side up, on a wire rack in a roasting tray. Squeeze the lemon juice over the skin. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt over evenly and pour the oil on top. Massage the salt, lemon juice and oil into the skin so there are no puddles of oil left on top.

Roast the pork for 25-30 minutes until the skin has started to crisp up. Turn down the oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/gas 3 and roast for 1½ hours more until the meat is cooked and tender. Turn up the oven to 240°C/fan 220°C/gas 8 and roast for a further 15 minutes until the crackling is very crisp and deep golden in colour.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Put the apples in a pan with 2-3tbsp water. Cover and cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes until the apples are soft and beginning to catch on the bottom of the pan (this will add colour). Add a little more water if they’re catching too much. Once the apples are cooked, remove from the heat and stir in the cinnamon. For a smoother sauce, blitz with a stick blender. Keep the sauce warm or leave to cool, as you prefer.

When the pork is ready, remove it from the oven and leave to cool slightly before carving into slices. Serve with the apple sauce, roast potatoes and salad alongside.