Glaze your Christmas gammon joint with fruit, bay leaves, allspice and cloves then slow roast and serve as thick slices.

(Serves 15-20)

Ingredients:

• 3kg Gammon joint
• 2l bottle ginger beer
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 whole allspice berries
• 6 black peppercorns
• 30-40 whole cloves
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 340g jar apricot jam

METHOD:

• Add the gammon to a large pan and add the ginger beer, bay leaves, allspice, peppercorns and 6 of the cloves.
• Top up the liquid with enough water to cover. If the gammon joint sticks out of the liquid, don’t worry – just rotate halfway through cooking.
• Put over a medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer, then cover with a lid or a piece of foil. Leave to cook for 2½ hrs, topping up with water as it cooks.

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. When the ham is cool enough to handle, discard the cooking liquid and pat dry.
• Use a small, sharp knife to pare the rind away from the ham, leaving a layer of fat attached to the meat.
• Score the fat in a diamond pattern and stud all over with the remaining cloves. Put the ham in a roasting tin.
• Mix together the ginger and jam and brush the mixture over the ham. Roast for 1 hr until golden and glistening.

Serve hot or cold.