Roast Belly of Pork Dinner

Serves: to serve 6

Prep Time: 30 Minutes + waiting

Cook Time: 2 Hours

Ready In: 2 hrs 30 mins
+ waiting

4 lb - Belly Pork (with the skin on)

4 tablespoons - cider vinegar

3 tablespoons - butter

8 - bay leaves

1 clove - garlic

FOR THE VEGETABLES

4 large - parsnips

4 large - carrots

6 - shallots

3 sprigs - fresh thyme

2 tablespoons - olive oil

2 - 3 oz - spinach

For the very best results, you need to plan Roast Belly of Pork a little in advance. To ensure the best crackling, the day before you plan to cook this meal, boil a kettle of water and pour the boiling water over the skin of the pork. Discard the water then baste the joint with cider vinegar, rubbing it all over particularly ensuring that the vinegar gets into the rind. Place the joint on a plate and leave, uncovered in the fridge overnight.
Crush the bay leaves into tiny pieces and peel and crush (mince) the garlic. Mix this with the butter and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove the pork from the fridge and spread the butter mixture all over. Set aside for at least half an hour for the flavours to develop.
Pre-heat the oven to Mk 6 - 400ºF - 200ºC and place the pork, skin side up, on a wire rack above an empty roasting tray. Roast for one hour and then reduce the oven temperature to Mk 4 - 350ºF - 180ºC.
During the first hour of cooking, prepare the vegetables... peel and cut the parsnips into long wedges, peel and cut the carrots into 2" (50cm) lengths and peel the shallots.
After the pork has cooked for one hour, remove the roasting tray and add the parsnips, carrots and shallots. Then add the thyme and olive oil and a glass of water (be careful that the hot fat doesn't splash on you). Place the baking tray back in the oven underneath the cooking pork. Roast for a further one hour, basting the vegetables with the juices from the pork in the bottom of the pan from time to time.
Remove the pork from the wire rack and rest it in a warm place for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the spinach leaves in with the vegetables from the roasting pan. Remove the vegetables and keep warm. Drain off any fat leaving the cooking juices behind to make Gravy. Finally, carve the crackling off the pork in one piece and cut into portions. Serve the pork and crackling with the roasted root vegetables and gravy.