Pork belly baps with poached rhubarb

The tent fills with artists from many different countries and origins, waiting to hear about the schedule for the next six months from our director Cal Mccrystal. We need something special to kick-start the season.

PREPARATION TIME 35 minutes, plus cooling

COOKING TIME 1 hour 10 minutes

SERVES 8

1kg pork belly, de-boned and skin scored

1tbsp cider vinegar Vegetable oil, for roasting and frying

100g mayonnaise (see right) 1tsp smoked paprika Squeeze of lemon juice 8 brioche baps, cut in half

Mixed salad leaves

Sea salt

FOR THE POACHED RHUBARB 200ml cloudy cider

50g brown sugar

1 cinnamon stick

4 sticks rhubarb, trimmed and cut into finger-length sticks

FOR THE MAYONNAISE

1 egg yolk

1tsp white wine vinegar

1tsp Dijon mustard

150ml vegetable oil Squeeze of lemon juice 1 Preheat the oven to 240°C (220°C fan) gas mark 9.

2 Place the pork in a deep saucepan, cover with water and add a couple of pinches of salt. Bring to the boil and cook for 15min, then remove and pat dry with kitchen paper. Transfer to a roasting tray and add the vinegar and a good drizzle of vegetable oil. Sprinkle a good pinch of sea salt over, then rub everything into the scored skin. Roast for 30-45min, keeping an eye on it, until the skin is uniformly golden and crisp and the roasting juices run clear when you pierce the meat with a sharp knife. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

3 For the poached rhubarb, bring the cider, brown sugar and cinnamon stick to the boil in a non-reactive saucepan. Turn down the heat to low, drop in the rhubarb and poach for 10min, or until tender but not falling apart. Leave to cool.

4 For the mayonnaise, mix the egg yolk with the vinegar and mustard in a bowl. Ever so slowly, trickle in the oil, whisking all the while, until you have a smooth, thick mayonnaise. Season well with salt and pepper, and add a good squeeze of lemon juice.

5 When you’re ready to eat, mix the mayonnaise with the paprika and lemon juice in a small bowl. Slice the pork belly into 1cm-thick slices and fry in a skillet or heavy-based frying pan with a very small amount of vegetable oil on a medium heat until crisp. Fill each bap with a slice or two of pork belly, a few sticks of poached rhubarb, salad leaves and a good drizzle of the smoky mayo.