• 2 teaspoons ground star anise
• 2 thumbs fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon manuka honey
• 4 × 200 g (6 ½ oz) pork chops
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup basmati rice, rinsed
• 12 dried apricots, quartered
• ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 1 lemon, quartered

Combine star anise, ginger, oil and honey and rub into chops, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 2-1 2 hours.

An hour before you want to serve them, take chops from the fridge to come to room temperature. Season on both sides with salt and pepper and rub marinade into meat a little.

Place rice in a smallish saucepan (about 1 litre/2 pints) with a tight-fitting lid. Add 2½ cups cold water and a few good pinches of salt. Bring to the boil and add apricots and almonds. Turn down heat, cover and cook on a rolling simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave covered for 15 minutes in a warm place to finish cooking.

Meanwhile, grill or barbecue chops about 4 minutes each side until just cooked through. Best way to test this is to cut them near the bone with a sharp knife – the meat should be white, not pink, on the inside.

To serve, gently mix rice to disperse the nuts and apricots, then divide between four plates. Put a chop on top and serve with a wedge of lemon.