Plum sauce for pork fillet

Plums are the juiciest fruit in the stone fruit family and British varieties are in season from mid August to September. Plums vary from deep purple to red, yellow and green and the cloudy bloom on their skin is natural and isn’t an indication of poor quality. They are wonderful baked in pies and crumbles, or used to make a plum sauce to serve with duck or pork.

Roast pork fillet with plum sauce (serves 4)

500g whole pork fillet, trimmed

1 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the plum sauce

5-6 ripe plums (stoned and quartered)

1 small cinnamon stick

1 star anise

1 tsp of grated root ginger

2 tbsps of red wine or red wine vinegar

4 tbsps of soft brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C, fan 180, Gas 6

Season the pork fillet well, and brush all over with olive oil. Heat a large frying pan or griddle pan and brown the pork well on all sides for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a small shallow roasting tin and cook in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Pierce the pork with a skewer and if the juices are clear it is cooked through. Set aside on a carving board and wrapped in tinfoil to rest.

While the pork is cooking, prepare the sauce: In a small saucepan, heat some oil and slowly fry the grated ginger until it changes to a very light golden colour (around 1-2 mins)

Add the cinnamon stick, star anise, plums, red wine vinegar, and brown sugar. Give it a good mix in the pan, cover and lower the heat. Cook for around 20 mins or until the sauce is slightly sticky and syrupy. Pass through a sieve to make a smooth sauce.

Carve the pork into thick slices, cut at a slight angle and spoon over any juices from the roasting tin. Drizzle over the hot plum sauce from the pan and serve.