Honey Roast Pork Belly with Fennel....

There are good points and bad points about getting up at 5am. It physically hurts when my alarm goes off. I've tried several different alarms they all sound the same...like someone jumping up and down on my head. No one else works the same hours as you...so lying in the sun is fun but not as exciting as lying with someone else. Post 9pm television is also a rarity. But......when it rains all day I am left smug in the knowledge that when I left home I saw the best of the day.

And it means I can spend a bit more time making tea....

Honey Roast Pork Belly with Fennel..........(serves 3)

1 1/4 kg pork belly

1 tbsp Cornish sea salt

1 tbsp fennel seeds

2 tbsp runny honey

Preheat the oven to 250'c.

Dry the pork, wiping it down with a clean tea towel. Score the pork with the sharpest knife you had. (At this point I decided to check how sharp my knife was by running it down my palm. I can confirm it is sharp and I ha to stop the recipe at this point to administer first aid.) As well as not scoring your hand, make sure you don't cut into the pork flesh.

In a pestle and mortar crush the salt and seeds. Rub over the skin an push into the scored skin.

Put in the oven and cook for half an hour. Reduce the heat to 180'c. Cook for a further 2 and a quarter hours. 15 minutes before taking out of the oven brush the crackling with the honey. Pop it back in the oven. Leave it to rest for 20 minutes.

Slice and eat with potatoes and peas. Or just in a roll.