Skye Gyngell’s Marmalade Glazed Ham

Prepared with festive components such as juniper berries and cloves, and adorned with a sticky, sweet marmalade glaze, accompanied by winter vegetables like leeks and carrots, it serves as the ideal centerpiece for your Christmas roast this year.

Photo: Getty Images

Ingredients:

• 1 leg of ham

• 5 carrots 

• 4 leeks

• 10 juniper berries

• 15 peppercorns

• 5 fresh bay leaves

• Whole Cloves 

• 5 tbsp marmalade (or any other good-quality jam or strong marmalade)

• 4tbsp Dijon mustard (or grainy, if you prefer)

For the glaze

• 2 tbsp marmalade

• 3 tbsp soft brown sugar, such as muscovado

• Finely grated zest and juice of one orange

• 150ml/5oz white wine 

• A handful of cloves 

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (or grainy, if you prefer), for serving

Instructions:

• Submerge the ham in a bucket filled with cold water and let it to soak for 24 hours. This is performed to eliminate the saltiness. Extract the ham and thereafter position it in a deep stockpot.

• Coarsely dice the carrots, celery, and leeks, then include them into the soup. Subsequently, incorporate the juniper berries, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Submerge in cold water and bring to a boil. This may require up to ninety minutes.

• Reduce to a medium simmer and continue cooking for an additional two hours.

  
  

Glaze

• To prepare the glaze, combine the marmalade, sugar, orange juice, zest, and wine until a loose paste is achieved.

• Eliminate the skin from the cooked ham, preserving as much fat as feasible, score it uniformly across the surface, and insert a clove into each diamond-shaped section. Employ a pastry brush to apply half of the glaze uniformly on the exterior of the ham. Position in a baking tray on the central shelf of the oven. Roast for 10 minutes, then apply the remaining glaze on top. Cook for 20 minutes or until the mixture is sticky, golden brown, and somewhat firm.

• Accompany with coarse mustard or chutney. Skye enjoys pairing this with dauphinoise potatoes and pickled red cabbage.