Ripe for the picking in the garden are crab apples from our Malus sylvestris ‘John Downie’. They have been dropping for a while so time to think of how to use them.

Today’s choice was supporting a joint of rolled pork leg. We also harvested thyme this weekend (in abundance), so I set up a bed of thyme sprigs, put onion, tomatoes and crab apples on top and then the pork. I put the lid on, added a glug of cider, and set that cooking. Later, once the temperature had got towards 60°C, I cut the fat off and put the joint and crackling in the tray where I was cooking the roast potatoes and carrots.

The final dish had slices of pork, crackling, roast potatoes and carrots, some boiled cabbage and the gorgeous mash of crab apples and aromatics. Delicious!