Slow Cooked Shoulder of Pork

An hour before cooking, remove pork from the fridge. Pre heat the oven to 220C. Arrange the apples, onions, garlic, bay leaf and thyme in a large heavy based roasting tin.

In a small frying pan gently toast the caraway and fennel seeds. Add to a pestle and mortar with the four spice, salt and pound until you can distinctively smell the aromas. Rub this all over the pork and deep into the scored skin. Place on top of the apple and onions. Drizzle with the oil and add the wine and water to the bottom of the tin.

Cook in the oven for 1 hour. Now turn the oven down to 140C and semi-cover the meat with three layers of foil. Cook the shoulder for six hours or until the meat is falling from the bone.

Once cooked remove from the oven and place on another tray, covered to keep warm. Pull apart the tender pork meat.

For the gravy, strain all the pan juices into a jug and place in the freezer for an hour to allow the fat to rise to the service. Once chilled, skim all the fat away. Keep the onions, apple and garlic that have been strained and put in a small saucepan with the clarified juices. Bring to the boil and reduce by ¼.

Serve with the gravy and optionally some of your favourite apple sauce and classic roast potatoes.