Glazed Festive Gammon

Serves 4-6 (dependent on joint size)

Ingredients

• Gammon Joint
• Handful of Cloves
• 3 tbsps of Treacle

Method

Cooking:

Put the gammon in a large pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil, adding any flavouring you may wish e.g. cinnamon, bay, peppercorns, coriander seeds and onion.

Cook for 30 mins per 450g/1lb, periodically skimming and discarding any white froth that comes to the surface.

Allow to cool fully, preferably until the next day.

Glazing:

With a sharp knife carefully pair back the skin leaving as much fat as possible on the joint effectively removing the skin only.

Score the fat to create a harlequin effect with 1.5 to 2 cm between the lines taking care not to cut into the meat.

Stud with cloves where the scoring meets, I find that placing the clove at every other cross section is enough.

Microwave the treacle for 30 seconds making it runny so that it can be painted onto the ham with a pastry brush. This must be done quickly as the treacle will soon thicken when it meets the cold ham. Ensure that the fat is uppermost and totally covered with treacle.

Place into a pre-heated oven on a rack at 220c for 15 to 30 mins depending on size. This is the most crucial part of the process and will require attention to achieve the desired colour.

Allow to cool and the ham will be ready for carving after 1 hr. This whole process can of course be done the day before.