Gordon Ramsay\'s Great British Pub Food

SERVES 6-8

2kg boned shoulder

of pork

sea salt and black pepper

3 medium onions, peeled

and halved

4-5 bay leaves

olive oil, to oil the tin

200ml dry cider

APPLE AND LAVENDER
SAUCE
4 cooking apples
30g butter
30g caster sugar
few lavender stems (see
above), flowers stripped

198 WEEKEND ROASTS

Slow roast pork

with apple and lavender sauce

Slow cooking renders pork shoulder meltingly tender and

the sauce balances the richness perfectly. If you don't have

any lavender, replace the caster sugar with lavender sugar,

which you can buy from selected supermarkets and delis.

Preheat the oven to its highest setting. Pat the pork rind dry with

kitchen paper, then score at 5mm intervals. Rub all over with seasoning,

massaging it into the cuts. Scatter the onion halves and bay leaves in

a lightly oiled roasting tin and lay the pork on top, skin side up.

Roast for 20-25 minutes until the skin starts to blister and crispen,

then lower the oven setting to 150°C/Gas 2. Spoon off most of the

rendered fat in the tin. Pour the cider around p pork, cover with foil

and roast for another 4-5 hours until very tender. Several times during

roasting, lift the foil and baste the sides of the joint with the pan

juices. The meat is ready when it can be easily shredded with a fork.

For the sauce, peel, core and roughly chop the apples. Melt the butter

in a pan and add the apples with the sugar and lavender flowers. Cook

over a medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes until soft and pulpy,

stirring occasionally and adding a little water if needed. Sieve if

preferred, and reheat gently before serving.

When cooked, take out the pork and turn the oven to its highest

setting. Slice off the rind and place it on a baking sheet. Cover the pork

shoulder loosely with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for 15-20

minutes. Meanwhile, roast the rind in the hot oven for 10-15 minutes

until it turns to a crisp, golden crackling. Break into shards to serve.

Slice the pork shoulder thickly and serve with the pan juices, warm

apple and lavender sauce and crispy crackling.