Nigel Slater

Nigel writes about food the way other people write about memory. Across newspaper columns, books and television, he champions simple, seasonal cooking that encourages you to taste as you go and trust your own instincts. His prose made home cooking feel personal and unhurried, and his memoir Toast turned a childhood of food into a modern classic.

Legacy

Made food writing intimate and unfussy; inspired a generation of home cooks to cook by instinct, not by rule.

Slow Roast Pork Belly with Apples

Crackling on top, tender meat beneath and sharp apples to cut the richness.

Ingredients

1.2kg Pork Belly, skin scored
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp sea salt flakes
3 eating apples, cut into wedges
2 onions, cut into thick wedges
200ml dry Cider
4 sage leaves

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Dry the pork skin thoroughly and rub in the salt and crushed fennel seeds.
Scatter the onions in a roasting tin and sit the pork on top. Roast for 30 minutes to start the crackling.
Reduce the heat to 160°C (140°C fan) and roast for a further 2 hours.
Add the apples, sage and cider to the tin and return it to the oven for 30 minutes.
Rest the pork for 15 minutes, then slice and serve with the apples and pan juices.

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