GLAZED HAM

(Pictured on page 26) Serves 12-20 people. You will need:

1 x 6.8kg–9kg (15lb–20lb) ham on the bone, rind still on About 40 cloves 500g (1lb 2oz) demerara or light muscovado sugar Juice of ½ to 1 orange

Put the ham in a large pot of cold water and leave it to soak overnight. The following day, drain the soaking water, then cover the ham in fresh cold water and put the pot on a high heat.

Bring the pot to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and leave the ham to simmer for five to six hours, topping it up with more water if necessary, until the ham is cooked.

Alternatively, put the pot in an oven preheated to 110°C, 225°F, Gas ¼, or the lowest setting, and cook it for the same length of time. You can tell that the ham is cooked when a piece of the rind easily comes away from the fat. Also, a skewer inserted into the meat will come out easily.

Drain the ham, reserving the cooking water, and put it in a roasting tin. Preheat the oven, or raise the oven temperature if it’s already switched on, to 220°C, 425°F, Gas 7.

Once the ham has cooled just enough to handle it, peel the rind off the meat and discard it. Using a knife, score the fat in a grid pattern to make squares or diamonds, with lines roughly 2cm (¬in) apart. Stick a clove into each square or diamond, pushing it right into the fat with your thumb.

Next, put the demerera sugar or the light muscovado sugar in a bowl and add in just enough orange juice to make a fairly dry paste — if it is too wet, it will fall off the meat during cooking. Pack the sugar and orange juice mixtue onto the fat, pressing it in with your hands.

Put the meat in the preheated oven and

cook it for 30–50 minutes, or until the sugar coating is a deep golden colour and caramelised. Take the ham out to baste it (spoon the sugary juices back over the meat) a few times during the cooking time.

When the ham is cooked, remove it from the oven and allow it to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.

You can also cook the ham in advance if you’d prefer to eat it cold. Once it is cooked, it will keep in the fridge, well wrapped up, for up to four days.