Honey glazed gammon

It is the time of year to think abut things like this personally I love this kind of thing it is just great to and have a round at parties. Or even do one and take it on a picnic. And really it doe not take a lot of skill it look very impressive and you can do it in advance before every one arrives so why not give it a go

You will need

6kg/13lb 3½oz gammon joint

water, to cover

8 cloves,

2 onions

4 large bay leaves

120g/4oz soft brown sugar

1 glass of  orange juice

6 tbsp clear honey

3 tbsp English mustard

Cloves for studding the gammon if you want

Now technically you should soak your ham over night but most of the hams that you get these days are not slat cured so you do not have to really.  So place the gammon into a large, deep pan and cover with water.  Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and drain.

Now return the gammon to the pot and cover once more with water and add the onions bay leaf and cloves now you need to bring the water back up to the boil and then just simmer for about 2 to three hours until the gammon is completely cooked.  As you cook the ham you might need to add more water to it as it cooks.  Now you can if you like add things to the water such as mixed spiced cinnamon sticks and orange juice it is up to you.

Now the next sage make the gammon look as good as it does as your remove it from the pan lat it cool a little so you can handle it.  Remove the skin so all you have is a layer of fat.  Now it is that that you score with a sharp knife but not cutting in to the meat. Normally you make a diamond patter that is the traditional patter but there is no reason why you could not do any thing different.  Now in the centre of each dimed press in a cloves in the middle.

Now you need to make your glaze.  Just add all the sugar, honey, orange juice, and English mustard in to a pan and heat it all together so the sugar dissolves.  Then spoon some of this over the gammon.

Now in an oven set at 180c/360f and place the gammon on a roasting tray and put it in the oven.  It will need roasting for about 45 to 50 minuets.  As it roast baste it with the rest of the glaze.  Also, use the juices from the bottom of the try so that it goes nice and brown.

Once removed from the oven just baste it a few more time to help covering it with the sweet sticky juices from the roasting pan.  Then serve it straight away or chill and serve cold.

The is some thing very special about a glazed ham on a table that looks the part.