I love pork belly, but I love pork belly even more when it's sweet, sticky, and crunchy. This is such an easy recipe with few ingredients; you just need to allow a few hours for it to cook slowly. Serve with the sides of your choice. I served mine with smashed new potatoes with garlic, butter, and rosemary, and of course, some asparagus as it is this season. Simple, fairly easy but very rewarding, what more could you ask for.

Serves: 2

Cooking time: 2.5 hours

Ingredients:

• 800g Pork Belly
• 500 ml Cider
• 4 tsp Honey
• 4 tsp Dijon
• 1 tsp Chopped Thyme
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tsp Cornflour

To serve with:

• Asparagus
• New potatoes

Instructions:

1. Start off by turning the oven to 200℃ and cutting the pork into 2 portions, scoring with a sharp knife.
2. Pat dry and if you have a hair dryer to hand, dry the skin of the pork for about 5 minutes using it. This will ensure the crackling goes lovely and crunchy. Strange, I know, but trust me, it really does work.
3. Rub with oil and season generously before placing in the oven in a deep roasting tin for 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, mix together the honey, mustard, thyme, a little olive oil, and seasoning.
5. When the 15 minutes is up on the pork, remove from the oven and turn down to 160℃. Smother the pork (avoiding the skin) with 1/4 of the honey and mustard mix before pouring in half the cider and putting in the oven for 2 hours.
6. Check on the pork regularly, and if the crackling begins to catch a bit too much, place some foil over the top.
7. When the pork is 15 minutes off ready, remove from the oven again and drain the cider and juices into a saucepan.
8. Glaze the pork with a bit more of the honey and mustard mix before returning to the oven for the final 15 minutes.
9. Pour the rest of the cider into the saucepan along with the remaining honey and mustard mixture, putting it on a low heat to simmer while preparing the side dishes.
10. When the pork is done, remove from the oven and leave to rest.
11. Remove 2 tbsp of the cider jus from the saucepan into a smaller dish and mix with a heaped tsp of cornflour until a smooth paste has formed. Add back to the saucepan and stir through, leaving to simmer and thicken for 5 minutes.

Serving Note: Plate the pork with your side dishes and a generous helping of cider jus, a large glass of wine of your choice, color dependent on what you're in the mood for that day as both work, listening to some Olivia Dean.