Pork scratchings

Heat the oven to 200°C.

Remove the rind from a leg of pork, but make sure that you take a thin layer of the fat with it so that it can cook in its own tasty fat. Alternatively, ask your butcher for a slab of good quality pork fat and rind.

Carefully score lines into the rind - not in a criss-cross pattern because you want the beautiful long strips at the end. Use a sharp knife (a clean Stanley knife works well), to only cut into the fat, about 1 cm deep and 1 cm wide. 

It’s very important to make sure that the fat and rind is dry (best is to leave it, wrapped in a clean dish towel, overnight in the fridge or blast it with your hairdryer) and fight the urge to oil it. 

Generously salt the slab of scored fat with Malden salt and be sure to rub the salt into the slits of the rind well. Now place it on a baking tray into a hot oven for about 30 minutes. 

Keep checking it to make sure it doesn't burn. When it starts to bubble ferociously and has a glorious golden colour, you know it’s done. 

To check if it’s ready, remove the rind from the oven and if it can break apart easily and you get that ‘snap’, it’s perfect.

Cook's note: regularly pour of excess fat and use it for your roast potatoes