Garlic & herb roast pork with cider gravy

Method

• step 1

  If you have time, rub salt into the pork skin up to a day before cooking and leave uncovered in the fridge. Heat the oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8 – this helps to ensure crispy crackling. Turn the pork rind-side down and with a small knife cut about eight deep incisions along the meat. Poke a sliver or two of garlic, a sprig of rosemary, a bit of thyme and a bay leaf into each incision and turn the pork the right way up. If you didn’t salt the pork earlier salt the skin now.

• step 2

  Toss the carrot and onion in a shallow roasting tray, sit the pork on top and rub the skin with the oil. Place the pork in the oven and leave for 10 mins, then turn the heat down to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and continue to roast for 1hr 40 mins. If after this time you don’t have crisp crackling, turn the heat up again and check every 5 mins until the skin has crackled.

• step 3

  Lift the pork out of the roasting tray onto a board or platter to rest and pour off all but about 2 tbsp of fat from the tray. If your tray is robust enough to go on direct heat, then put it on the hob over medium heat, if not, transfer to a shallow saucepan. Stir the flour in with the veg and roasting juices and cook until you have a mushy, dark amber paste, then splash in the cider and bubble down to a thick paste again. Pour in the stock and simmer for 8-10 mins until you have thickened gravy. Strain the gravy into another saucepan, simmer again and season to taste. Use a sharp serrated knife to carve the pork and crackling into slices and serve with your favourite seasonal vegetables and the gravy on the side.