Preheat your oven to the highest temperature it will go to
Score the pork skin very well right through the fat with the sharpest knife you have, or ask your butcher to do it for you. A Stanley blade or craft knife works best as pig skin is like cutting through leather on top of jelly.... Don't cut into the meat though
Rub the olive oil all over the pork, then pat dry and rub in the salt, especially getting into all the cuts you made on the skin. This will make your crackling crunchy. It's good to do this the day before cooking. If you set this aside in the fridge overnight it will get even better as the skin will dry more but you can roast straightaway if pressed for time
Place the pork in a roasting tin, skin side up. Roast for 20 minutes or until the fat puffs up and starts bubbling
Remove the pork and set aside. Drain off the liquid fat collected in the tin then toss the onion, carrot, garlic and herbs together in the tin
Reduce the oven temperature to gas 4 / 180C / 350°F
Peel the apples (keep the skins) and cut into wedges. Set them aside in a bowl of cold water with a squeeze of lemon juice to stop them going brown
Mix the apple skins, cider, vinegar and water into the roasting tin with the veg. Lay the pork on top, skin side up. Tent loosely with foil and cook for 2 hours or until the meat is very tender
Remove the foil from the pork and add the drained, sliced apples to the tin
Now increase the oven temp to gas 8 / 220C / 425°F
Return the tin to the oven and roast, uncovered for another 20 minutes, or until the crackling is crispy and golden. Remove the tin from the oven and set the pork aside to rest on a warm plate while you finish the gravy
Put the roasting tin with the vegetables etc in it on the stove and cook over a medium heat for a few minutes
Remove the apples with a slotted spoon when they're soft. Set aside but keep warm. If the liquid in the tin evaporates too quickly before the apples are done, add a little more cider. Bring to the boil and reduce the liquid by half
Stir in the stock and brown sugar and reduce down again. Mash the veggies in the tin well to thicken the gravy. Mix in then strain to get rid of the herb sprigs, bay leaves and any lumps. Discard those
To serve, cut the pork into 6 even pieces and serve with the apples and gravy and some mashed potatoes and seasonal veg
