Treacle Roast Pork with Spiced Red Cabbage

Preparation time 30 minutes, Cooking time 4 – 4 ½ hours

Serves 4 - 6

1 red cabbage, shredded

2 peeled red onions, one quartered, one sliced

2 cooking apples, cored, one cut into rings, the other grated

1 cinnamon stick

50ml sherry vinegar

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 red chilli, chopped

1 star anise

60g/2oz butter, cubed

1 tbsp treacle

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

2.25kg/5lb loin of pork, skin on

2 tbsp olive oil

450ml port

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark2/150C/300F. Place the cabbage, sliced onion, grated apple, cinnamon, vinegar, caster sugar, chilli and star anise in a large casserole dish. Add the butter to the dish with 200ml of port. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours stirring occasionally until the cabbage is soft. To cook the pork, preheat the oven to Gas Mark 7/425C/220F. Mix together the treacle, brown sugar and mustard, score the fat of the pork and cover with the treacle glaze. Place the quartered onion and apple rings in a large roasting pan and drizzle over the olive oil. Sit the pork on top of the apples and roast in the hot oven for 30 minutes. Pour over 250ml of port, reduce the oven temperature to Gas Mark 5/375F/190C and roast for a further 1 ½ hours until crisp and golden.