Christmas is a time for the old classics. While it’s good to experiment, it’s making those dishes that bring back memories from years gone by that really make the season feel magical. For Danish chef Kell Skött, nothing brings the family together more than roast pork, prepared on Christmas morning to make sure there’s room for all the vegetables in the oven that afternoon. The aroma of it cooking always reminds him of waking up to the smell as a child (and making for a rather tempting wake up call).
For most of us, a love of roast pork comes from biting down into that tasty piece of crunchy crackling. And more importantly, that moment of pride when it comes out of the oven just right. With the perfect scoring of the skin and a hefty handful of salt, Kell’s managed to get his crackling just like his Mum used to make it before she passed her legendary recipe book onto him. But it isn’t just the skin that makes roast pork so delicious. “The best part of the pork roast is everything,” says Kell. “The salty crackling that crackles in your mouth, and the juicy meat melting on your tongue… it’s everything!”
For Kell, it isn’t just eating the pork at Christmas that takes him back to years gone by. The meat plays an important part whenever his family get together throughout the year. “Whenever I get together with my brother and sister, wherever we are in the world, we always spit-roast a pig. It’s a tradition,” says Kell. “My mother used to work in a farm, so enjoying this meal together has always played such an important part in my family life. Pork is quite special in our family… it’s a luxurious dish to have, especially at Christmas. I have so many lovely memories of that.”
Find out how to make Kell’s roast pork here
