Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage and cut into quarters. Cut out the core and slice thinly.
Peel and chop the onions finely, then peel the apples and cut into chunks.
Place the vegetables in the dish. Start with a layer of about a third of the cabbage and follow with a third of the apples, onions and garlic.
Mix the sugar together with the spices, salt and pepper. Sprinkle over a third of the mix onto the vegetables.
Repeat the layering process twice more. Now, pour the vinegar over the top and dot the butter over the surface.
Put the lid on top and cook in the oven at 150C/300F/Gas2 got about 2 hours, stirring half-way through.
Notes
Tips:
Red cabbage is like beetroot and juice will stain everything. If you are slicing the cabbage by hand you might like to use cloves and a plastic chopping board that you can clean with bleach.
Slice the cabbage in a food processor, if you prefer, by using the wide slicing attachment.
If you don't have ground cloves just pinch the tops off whole cloves and discard the stalk. The tops just disintegrate to a powder that you can use for ground cloves.