This may be a controversial take, but ham is my favourite of the Christmas meats. The meal I like even more than the main Christmas dinner is the one we have on Boxing Day - ham with jacket potatoes, braised red cabbage and the leftovers from the cheeseboard.
This particular ham would make an excellent addition to this meal (or any other in the festive period). The bitterness of the orange in the marmalade once caramelised is the perfect thing to cut through sweet, fatty pork.
Serves 4-6
1.5kg unsmoked gammon
2 bay leaves
1 star anise
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 onion
10 cloves
1L ginger ale
75g soft brown sugar
3 tbsp marmalade
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Get your ham into a large pot, then pour over cold water to cover it. Bring it up to a boil, then skim off the scum and discard all the water.
Get your ham back in the pot, and pour over your ginger ale. Top it up with water so the ham is covered again. Get your bay leaves, star anise and peppercorns into the pan. Halve your onion, and stud it with the cloves, then get those in there too. Simmer it for 1 hour on a gentle heat.
Meanwhile, make your sticky marmalade glaze. Add your soft brown sugar to a bowl, along with your marmalade, honey and dijon mustard. Season it up with a pinch of salt, and give it a mix.
Heat your oven to 180°C fan.
Once your ham is cooked, drain it from its liquid, and get it into a roasting dish. Cut the string off it, then remove the rind with a sharp knife (leaving some of the fat cap in tact). Score the fat in a criss cross pattern with a sharp knife.
Spoon your glaze all over the surface of the ham, and rub it so it is coated evenly. Roast it for 30-35 minutes, removing it from the oven every 7 minutes to baste it. The glaze will get darker and stickier as time goes on.
Let your ham rest for at least 20 minutes before carving, or keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days and serve it cold.