Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

Open up the loin of pork, ready for stuffing, by laying it out in front of you vertically so that the thick part is on the left.

Starting at the top, cut through this thick part of the loin all the way down so that you can open it out to the left like a book.

Spread the pungent garlic all over the meat.

Take the leaves from a few sprigs of oregano and dot them about too. Keep the stalks.

Lay the pieces of ham horizontally over the pork loin.

Sprinkle the chilli flakes over the ham and then roll up the loin, starting from the open-ended side, keeping as tight a roll as you can.

Secure the meat with string at 3-4cm/1-1½in intervals, knotting the lengths of string firmly.

Cut the onion or shallots into thick slices without peeling them, and sit them in the bottom of a roasting tin.

Add the reserved stalks from the oregano, sit the loin on top and drizzle with the oil.

Cook for 1¼ hours, when it’s cooked, the juices must run clear when you put a skewer into the centre and a meat thermometer should read 71C/160F.

Transfer the tin to a heatproof kitchen surface, immediately pour the vermouth and boiling water into the tin and scrape all around the bottom of the tin.

Let the meat rest in this sauce for 15 minutes or so.

When you are ready to slice the pork, remove it to a board and warm the gravy if it’s cooled.

Cut the meat into approximately 2cm/1in slices.

Arrange these sturdy slices on a bed of rocket with the gravy served separately in a little jug.