A festive classic – although, why on earth wouldn’t you make it at other times of year too?
- 1 kg unsmoked boneless gammon joint
- 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 4
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 stick celery, cut into 4
- 6 black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 600ml apple juice
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- Put the gammon into a large pan and cover with cold water
- Put on the heat and bring to the boil
- Then remove the ham and pour the water away
- Pop the ham back in the pot with the carrot, onion, celery, peppercorns and bay leaves
- Pour over the apple juice and top up with water if needed until the ham is just covered
- Bring to the boil and then cover and simmer for 1 hour
- Remove the ham from the liquid and set aside to drain. You can keep the stock for making an absolutely banging split pea soup
- Preheat the oven to 200C fan (220C)
- Remove the skin from the ham (but not the layer of fat underneath). Score the fat in a diamond pattern
- Mix the honey and mustard together and smear onto the ham on every side, but mostly on the top
- Put the sticky ham into a small foil-lined roasting tin
- Roast for 15 mins until golden brown
Serve hot with creamy mashed potatoes and peas, drizzled with the juice from the roasting tin. Or allow to cool and slice thickly to eat in the best ham sandwich ever (fresh white bloomer, salted butter, wholegrain mustard). Or of course you can just idly break off small chunks and munch on them until the whole thing is unexpectedly finished and you have to make another one.
Sophie cooks 