You may notice that this is a sponsored post but all of the views expressed in my little intro paragraph are my own. I am a huge Le Creuset fan, despite not actually owning any of their cookware. In fact, my mum called me on Saturday when I was dying in bed with a hangover after my work Christmas party asking me what I wanted for Christmas. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to be thinking about at that moment in time but my first answer was a Le Creuset cast iron pan. My second answer was slippers. What? A girl has to be comfy around the house in winter!

If you want a change from the usual Turkey this Christmas (I know I do), the below recipe for clementine marmalade glazed ham is a pretty good alternative. And if you have left overs, wedge them between two slabs of sourdough bread for a Boxing Day sarnie.

Clementine Marmalade Glazed Ham

Ingredients

3-3½kg (6½ lb) boned, unsmoked gammon joint
3 bay leaves
2 onions, quartered
2 carrots, chopped
2 eating apples, quartered
½ teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon juniper berries
Handful of fresh parsley
500ml (4 cups or 1 pint) dry cider or pressed apple juice

Glaze

3 tablespoons Clementine marmalade (see Cook’s Note 1)
3 tablespoons light muscovado sugar
2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard

Method

1. Place the gammon joint into the 3-ply Stainless Steel Preserving Pan cover with water and bring to the boil over a medium heat.

2. Once boiling turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly. Remove the joint and discard the liquid from the pan.

3. Return the joint to the pan and add the prepared vegetables, apples, spices, herbs and cider.

4. Add enough water to the contents of the pan to cover the joint and bring to the boil once more.

5. Once boiling, lower the heat to maintain a very slow simmer. Cover the pan with foil to keep in the moisture.

6. Cook for 2¾-3 hours checking the level of water in the last hour of cooking and topping up if necessary.

Preheat the oven to moderately hot 190ºC/375ºF/Gas Mark 5. Fan Oven 170ºC.

Allow the ham to cool slightly before removing from the stock into a roasting dish.

7. Carefully remove the top layer of skin leaving the fat layer. Score the fat, using a sharp knife, diagonally 2-3cm (1 inch) apart both ways creating a diamond pattern

8. Mix the glaze ingredients together and apply liberally to the scored ham fat using a silicone basting brush.

9. Place into the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes until the top of the ham is deep golden brown.

Allow to cool slightly before carving. Serve generously sliced, hot or cold.

IMPORTANT POINTS:

A gammon becomes a ham once it is cooked hence the terminology changing from gammon in the raw ingredients list to ham in the method.

Don’t waste the ham stock, as it can be frozen and used later to add extra flavour to delicious homemade soups such as creamy pea and ham, pumpkin or squash.

This is a guest recipe by Nicola Winters on behalf of Le Cresuet, the cast iron casserole dish specialists.