Christmas Ham With Gingerbread Spiced Glaze Recipe

Christmas ham is a real festive treat, and a recipe that's always popular with the whole family. This gorgeous Christmas ham recipe combines the signature flavours of gingerbread with marmalade to make a sweet, sticky and fragrant glaze.

How To Make A Christmas Ham

Ingredients

• 4.1kg (9lb) raw ham (smoked or unsmoked), off the bone
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• 1 stick celery, roughly chopped
• 6 black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• cloves, to stud

For your Christmas ham glaze

• 4tbsp marmalade
• ¼tsp allspice
• 1tsp ginger
• ½tsp mixed spice

Method

1. Rinse the ham well, then place in a deep saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then drain (this removes the scum), rinse again and return to the clean pan with the onion, carrot, celery, peppercorns and bay leaf. Cover with cold water once more, bring to the boil, then simmer very gently for 1 hour 40 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 200 C, 180 C fan, 400 F, gas 6.
   
3. Remove the ham from the cooking liquid and remove the top layer of skin, leaving the soft fat in place (keep the skin for crackling).
   
4. Score diamonds into the fat and stud with cloves at the point of each diamond. Mix the ingredients for the Christmas ham gingerbread glaze and brush thickly over the ham. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling. Allow to cool slightly, then serve either warm or at room temperature.
5. To make crackling, place the skin over an upturned cake tin or metal dish on top of a baking tray. This allows the trapped hot air inside the tin to cook the skin from underneath, so it crisps more easily. Sprinkle well with salt, then cook in an oven turned to its highest setting for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Break into pieces and serve with warm apple sauce as a delicious pre-dinner nibble.