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Method

1. Heat the butter in a large frying pan and add the onions. Stir until the onions are glossy, then pour in the cider. Simmer over a low heat until the onions are very soft. Turn up the heat and boil off any liquid, then reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring regularly, until the onions are well browned, soft and sticky. Set aside and leave to cool.

2. Make an incision along the centre of the pork fillet, making sure you don’t cut right through. Put it between two pieces of greaseproof paper and bash with a tenderising mallet or rolling pin to flatten slightly. You want to end up with a piece of pork roughly 24x18cm/9½x7in. Arrange a line of sage leaves down the centre of the fillet.

3. Mix the white pudding with the apple, breadcrumbs and 1 tablespoon of the beaten egg and season with salt and pepper. Lay the mixture on the meat in a line on top of the sage leaves. Tightly roll up the pork to encase the stuffing and tie with kitchen string in four or five places.

4. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and sear the stuffed loin on all sides. Wrap tightly in cling film and leave to cool. Do not wash the pan as you will use it to make the gravy.

5. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

6. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to a rectangle roughly 30x20cm/12x8in. Arrange the prosciutto over the pastry, leaving a border all the way round to seal the pastry. Spread the onions over the prosciutto. Untie the pork and place on the onions. Fold up the pastry to enclose the pork, pressing the edges together to seal well.

7. Brush the pastry with the remaining beaten egg and place on the lined baking tray. Cut a couple of steam holes along the top of the pastry.

8. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the centre is piping hot – test with a temperature probe (it should read 71C) or insert a thin skewer into the centre of the meat for about 5 seconds (the skewer should be too hot to touch for more than a second or so). Leave to rest for 10 minutes.

9. To make the gravy, put the pan you used to sear the pork over a medium heat, pour in the cider and stir to deglaze. Leave it to bubble and reduce by half, then add the stock and a little sage, if you like. Simmer until piping hot. In a small bowl, mix the flour with the butter to make a soft paste, then whisk into the gravy a little at a time until it thickens. Serve with the Wellington.