Pork Tenderloin with Apple & Celeriac Slaw

Ingredients

• 400 g pork tenderloin
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 0.5 celeriac, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
• 1 crisp eating apple, cut into thin matchsticks
• 0.5 red onion, very thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• salt and black pepper
• Steamed greens, to serve
• Fresh thyme, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Pat the pork tenderloin completely dry with kitchen paper — water means steam, and steam means no crust. Rub it all over with the olive oil, crushed fennel seeds, smoked paprika, a generous pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Season properly now: the spices need to bloom against the meat, not drift off in the pan. Leave it on the board at room temperature while you build the slaw.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the yoghurt, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, cider vinegar and honey until smooth and glossy. Season with salt and pepper, then taste — you want it sharp, mustardy, with a quiet hum of honey behind.
3. Tip in the celeriac, apple and red onion matchsticks and toss thoroughly so every strand is coated. Leave to sit for at least 10 minutes — the salt and acid soften the celeriac from squeaky-raw to properly crunchy, and the flavours marry. Taste again before serving and adjust now, not at the table.
4. Heat a stainless steel or cast iron ovenproof frying pan over high heat until it's just shy of smoking. Lay the pork in dry — one piece in a wide pan, never crowded — and don't touch it for 2 minutes. Sear each of the four sides until deeply golden and the fennel and paprika smell toasted, around 8 minutes total. A non-stick pan won't give you this crust; you want the fond.
5. Slide the pan straight into the hot oven and roast for 10–12 minutes, until the internal temperature reads 63°C at the thickest point. Lift the pork onto a board and rest for a full 5 minutes — the temperature carries up to around 65°C off the heat, and the juices settle back into the meat instead of running out onto your board.
6. Slice the tenderloin into thick medallions on the diagonal to show the blush-pink centre. Pile the slaw alongside, squeeze a lemon wedge over the pork, scatter the fresh thyme leaves across both, and bring the remaining wedges to the table.