Seasonal Ham and Glaze

Recipe by: Sarah Butler

This recipe is packed with festive flavours and makes your home smell amazing. My top tip is to cook your ham on Christmas Eve, then glaze and bake it on Christmas Day. It slices and tastes even better the next day. Remember that hot gravy will heat the t

Seasonal Ham and Glaze

SERVES

6

PEOPLE

PREP TIME

20

MINUTES

COOKING TIME

8

MINUTES

Ingredients

  • 3kg boneless unsmoked gammon joint, fillet or shoulder

  • 1sprig thyme

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1 rosemary sprig

  • 1 orange, halved

  • 2 onions, halved

  • 2 carrots, roughly chopped

  • 3garlic cloves, whole

  • 1tbsp black peppercorns

  • 1 tsp cloves

  • 3 tbsp light brown sugar

  • For the glaze:

  • 80g honey

  • 3 tbsp soft brown sugar

  • 2 tbsp English mustard

  • 6 whole cloves

Method

  1. On the hob: Place the ham into a large deep saucepan. Add the herbs, orange, onion, carrots, garlic, peppercorns, cloves and sugar.

  2. Cover the ham with fresh water and bring to the boil. Once simmering, cover loosely with foil. Cook for 3 to 4 hours, about 40 minutes per pound.

  3. Keep it at a gentle simmer and do not let it boil hard, or the meat will toughen.

  4. In the oven: Transfer the simmering pot to the oven, making sure it is ovenproof. Cook at 160°C or 140°C fan or gas mark 3 for about three to four hours, again allowing roughly forty minutes per pound.Add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

  5. Add enough water to come halfway up the ham. Test the ham with a sharp knife. It should pull away easily when cooked.

  6. To make the glaze, remove the ham from the cooking liquid. Peel off the thick layer of skin to reveal the fat underneath. Discard the skin and score the fat in a criss-cross pattern. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas 6.

  7. Place the ham in a foil-lined roasting tray. Mix the honey, sugar and mustard, then brush half the glaze over the ham.

  8. Stick the whole cloves into the top in neat rows. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, brush with the remaining glaze, and return to the oven for another 20 to 30 minutes, until sticky and golden. Leave to rest for fifteen minutes before carving into thick slices.

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