"Both gammon and ham are cuts from the hind legs of a pig. Gammon is sold raw and ham is sold ready-to-eat. Gammon has been cured in the same way as bacon whereas ham has been dry-cured or cooked. Once you've cooked your gammon, it is then called ham. "To make your Christmas ‘ham’ you’ll need to buy a gammon"
It is recommended to soak the gammon in water over night to remove saltiness.
- To start, weigh your meat to calculate cooking times.
- Put the meat in a large pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil, adding any flavourings you may wish eg cinnamon, bay, peppercorns, coriander seeds and onion.
- Cook for 30 mins per 450g/1lb, periodically skimming and discarding any white froth that comes to the surface.
- Drain, reserving the stock if you like, leave to cool a little. Remove the top layer of skin, leaving a thin layer of fat around the meat.
- Score the fat, then brush with the glaze of your choice – a mixture of maple syrup and coarse-grain mustard is good. You can stud the fat with cloves too.
- Place in a foil-lined roasting tin and bake at 220C/fan 200C for 20-30 mins (based on a 5kg ham) or until the glaze is golden.
