Roasted Pork Belly with Gooseberries and Gooseberry Relish

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 200c/400f/gas 6 OR FIRE UP YOUR AIR FRYER TO 180C!

AIR FRYER: Take the pork belly, skin side down. Scatter over some gooseberries or diced peeled apple pieces (they go jammy) and then roll it up. Secure with string. Rub the skin with salt and olive oil. Pop it in the air fryer for an hour.

OVEN: Place the pork belly skin side up on a board and score it gently through the skin but not all the way through to the meat. Sprinkle over sea salt, and rub it in. Turn it over. Scatter over the gooseberries, herbs and seasoning. Carefully roll the pork belly up and tie in three places to secure it. Place in the hot oven for 30 minutes before lowering the temperature to 170c/325f/gas 3. Roast for a further 2.5 hours. (If for some reason the crackling hasn't crackled enough, you can put it under a grill for 5 minutes at the end).

Meanwhile, prepare the relish. Fry the shallot in olive oil and sweat to soften but not brown, about 10 minutes to release its full sweetness. Add the cleaned, topped and tailed gooseberries, sugar, vinegar, salt and peppercorns. Mix everything together well and bring to a gentle simmer, simmering until the fruit begins to burst, about 20 minutes. Set the relish aside until ready to serve with the pork belly.

Take the roasted pork belly out of the oven. Allow to rest before serving with the gooseberry relish and a lightly dressed salad. Summer comfort food.