Roast belly pork success

Many of you will know that I have lately been trying to visit supermarkets even less than normal.  I'm proud to report that last month I only visited one only once.  The source of my success lies in my monthly trip to Abbey Leys farmers market on the first Sunday of the month at High Legh and my weekly Thursday trips into Lymm village. My supermarket visit is simply a necessity to get the storecupboard items and other household purchases that we need.  So last weekend I peeked in the freezer to see which of my Abbey Leys goodies I was going defrost for a family roast dinner.  I retrieved the belly pork joint which I bought from Little Heath Farm shop stall, did a quick internet search and set about making a Jamie Oliver recipe with it.

http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/jamie-oliver/pork-belly-roast-recipe

It was quite simply divine.  My whole family just wolfed it down.  The layers of fat which naturally occur in this type of joint dissolved to make the meat mouth-wateringly tender.  I worried that the gravy would taste burnt since the veggies caught in the hot oven, but my worries were unfounded.  I served it with new Cheshire potatoes and steamed spring greens.  I had to guard the leftovers carefully from the hoards wanting seconds because I had plans for them as a mid-week meal later. 

When we visited America last summer we ate pulled pork several times.  It gave me the idea to use this really tender meat to serve on buns with barbeque sauce and a side salad or coleslaw in the USA style.  So while the pork was in the oven I used a ketchup recipe to make homemade sauce.  I added a teaspoon each of several ground spices to give it a barbeque flavour: smoked paprika, fennel, coriander, cumin and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne. 

We had enough for that meal and for several barbeques in the summer. 

The 1.3kg belly pork made 8 portions over the two meals, which works out at £1.10 per portion.  I will definitely use these two ideas again.  It will please my teenage son, who said of the pork on a bun meal that he could eat it every day because it is 'a nutritious, tasty, balanced meal'.  He was allowed second helpings of pudding for that!!

Lisa Reid