Glazed Christmas Ham

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A Glazed Christmas Ham makes an impressive centrepiece for your Christmas Eve dinner.

Prep Time15

Cook Time3

Total Time18

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British

Servings: people

Calories: 482kcal

Author: Georgina Hartley

Ingredients

4 kg unsmoked gammon
400 ml apple juice
500 ml cider
1 large onion roughly chopped
2 sticks celery roughly chopped
1 head fennel roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic lightly crushed
small bunch of parsley stalks
2 bay leaves
2 star anise
1 tablepooon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns

Glaze:

2 tablespoons cloves
150 g redcurrant jelly*
2 teaspoons English mustard powder

Instructions

Place the ham in a large stockpot and cover with water then bring to a rolling boil.
Remove the ham and pour out the water, giving the stockpot a rinse.
Place the ham back into the stockpot and add all the ingredients (except the ones for the glaze) Top up with water if your ham isn’t quite covered.
Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for three hours.
Remove the ham, but do not discard the cooking liquid as it makes excellent stock for a later use*.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted oven / gas mark 5.
Remove the string from the ham. Cut away the very outer skin from the ham, leaving the thick layer of fat that lies beneath.
Make a large diamond pattern into the fat with a very sharp knife, being sure not to pierce the meat. Then place a clove into each diamond.
Heat the ingredients for the glaze in a small saucepan until runny then brush half of the glaze all over the ham.
Place in the oven and bake the ham for 10 minutes.
Remove the ham, brush over the rest of the glaze then place back in the oven for a final 10 minutes.
Serve the ham hot or cold, being careful to pick out the cloves before eating.

Notes

Make ahead

The ham is delicious hot or cold. Once cooked wrap up well and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days before you want to serve it.

Jelly for the glaze

For the glaze usually use of the many pots of jelly that I have made during preserving season in the Autumn. My favourite homemade jelly to use is Rosehip Jelly but I have also had wonderful success with my Mulled Wine Jelly and my Apple Rosemary Jelly. Basically use the best jelly you can get hold of from your local preserver, or failing that every good supermarket stocks good old redcurrant jelly which is sweet and piquant and does the job nicely.

Recipe inspiration

Inspired by Nigella’s Fully Festive Ham from Nigella Christmas

How to freeze

You can freeze leftover slices of this Glazed Christmas Ham. Just wrap up well (double wrap if possible to avoid freezerbite) and store in slices for up to 2 months in the freezer. Allow to defrost completely overnight before serving.

Nutrition information

Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.

The nutrition serving is for 1 slice of ham, assuming the ham is cut into 12 slices.

Nutrition