Derval O'Rourke: Cheat sheets for a stress-free Christmas and my recipe for honey glazed ham

If you have spent Christmas labouring over carrots, peeling potatoes, crying over onions or stressing about wrapping, I’ve got you sorted. It really doesn’t have to be that hard.

There are lots of options to make your day easier without losing any of the magic. With some of my suggestions, you could even have time to throw on your runners and nip out for a lovely few festive walks.

This week I’ll share my Christmas cheat sheets and for the recipe, I have you sorted with a fabulous bit of Christmas cooking. When it comes to your fruit and vegetables everything does not need to be fresh and there’s a lot of reasons to choose frozen.

Cheat Sheet 1: The how and why of using frozen

• There are no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
• Using frozen means less waste – you’re only using what you need, I’ve had loads of Christmases where I ended up throwing away too much food.
• All the prepping is done for you! This is one of the most labour-intensive jobs, so consider which vegetables you are happy to have from frozen and voila the prep is done.
• Because they are frozen at their freshest point, you are getting the freshest fruit and vegetables into your family’s meals.
• My top frozen picks are- brussels sprouts, roast potatoes, potato croquettes and mixed berries to use for a dessert.

Cheat Sheet 2: What are your easy wins?

• Delegate. I’m a great woman for giving people jobs. If you are hosting Christmas dinner, make sure that you give jobs to people. From setting the table to taking care of certain parts of the dinner. It should never be all on one person.
• Alexa, please play Mariah. Music exerts a powerful influence on human beings. Get your Christmas playlist going and lash on Mariah to get into a good mood.
• Snacks for the win. We all love to entertain over Christmas, but having those last-minute, unexpected visitors can be the last thing you need when you’re up to your eyes. Keep a few easy snack options around for example smoked salmon, cheeses, cold meats, olives and nuts.
• Handmade wrapping paper is key. As a parent to small children I spend a lot of time wrapping presents and colouring. Why not combine the two? Get the kids to draw on large sheets of paper and use it as wrapping paper.
• An extra gift or two. I’ve had many a year that someone has given me a surprise gift and I’ve had nothing for them in return. Pick a couple of small items (ideally things you would like yourself) and have them wrapped and ready. Worst case scenario you can keep them yourself (which sounds like a win to me.)

My final point in this week’s column is to try to find gratitude where you can. I try to focus on what I’m grateful for and remember that not everyone is as fortunate. For last-minute gifts it’s worth considering charity donations for causes close to your heart.

Honey glazed ham and brussels sprouts

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

A fuss-free glazed ham

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 60 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 20 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• Ham, 500g piece

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 5 star anise

• Large pot of boiling water

• For the glaze:

• 4 tbsp maple syrup

• 1 tbsp mustard

• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• 10 Brussels sprouts

• 1 handful walnuts, roughly chopped

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• For the dressing:

• 3 tbsp natural yoghurt

• 1 tbsp blue cheese

Method

1. Put the ham in a large pan and cover with cold water.

2. Add the cinnamon and star anise.

3. Bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for around 30 minutes. Scoop off any scum that rises to the top every now and then.

4. Carefully pour the liquid away then let the ham cool while you heat the oven to 180.

5. Lift the ham into a roasting tin. Mix the glaze ingredients in a jug. Pour half over the ham.

6. Turn the ham around a few times during cooking. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 mins before carving.

7. Place the sprouts into boiling water. Cover, bring back to the boil and simmer for 4-5 minutes.

8. Drain and set aside for a few minutes to cool. Chop each brussels sprout in half and place in an oven-proof dish. Scatter the walnuts on top and drizzle in maple syrup. Pop in the oven for 15 minutes or until the brussels sprouts begin to get crispy

9. Combine the yoghurt and cheese in a small bowl and mix well.

10. On a plate combine the brussels sprouts and a slice of ham. Drizzle with the yoghurt dressing and enjoy.