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1
For the slow-cooked pork belly, preheat the oven to 160C/Gas Mark 3.
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2
Lay the pork belly on a chopping board and rub all over with a generous amount of salt and black pepper, the honey, garlic and crushed coriander seeds.
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3
Place the pork belly in a large, deep roasting tin, insert the rosemary and bay leaves underneath the pork, then set aside at room temperature while preparing the vegetables.
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4
Heat the sunflower oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the onion, carrots, celery and leek and saute over a high heat for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
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5
Add the cinnamon and star anise towards the end of the cooking time.
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6
Add the soy sauce, red wine and port to the pan and let the mixture bubble, stirring and scraping the base of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze it, then bring to the boil.
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7
Immediately pour the mixture over the pork belly in the roasting tin.
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8
Return the pan to the heat, add the stock and bring to the boil, then pour the hot stock over the pork.
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9
Cover the roasting tin with foil and bake in the oven for 3 hours or until the pork is flaky, tender and succulent.
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10
Remove from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 200C/Gas Mark 6.
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11
Carefully remove the pork from the roasting tin to a large plate, pour the sauce off into a bowl and then return the pork to the tin.
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12
Return the pork to the oven and cook for a further 45 minutes or until it is cooked and golden brown.
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13
Remove from the oven and let the pork rest for 10 minutes.
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14
Meanwhile, pass the sauce through a fine sieve into a small saucepan.
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15
Bring to the boil, then boil rapidly over a high heat for 5-6 minutes or until the sauce is reduced, thickened and almost syrupy.
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16
Remove from the heat and stir the cold butter into the sauce to give it a gloss.
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17
In the meantime, for the caramelised damsons, melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan until it is foaming.
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18
Toss the damsons in the sugar and ground clove, then add the damson mixture to the foaming butter and saute over a high heat for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and caramelised (do not overcook the damsons as you want them to retain their shape).
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19
Season lightly with salt and pepper.
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20
To serve, slice the pork belly and arrange the slices on serving plates, then spoon over the caramelised damsons.
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21
Serve immediately with the hot sauce and crab apple jelly served in the centre of the table so that everyone can help themselves.
