THE BEST XMAS HAM YOU’LL EVER EAT!

Serves 20, Prep and Cook: 2 hours, 10 mins

8kg cooked whole leg ham Fresh figs and crusty bread,

to serve

GLAZE 1½ cups fig jam 2 x 100g tubs fig paste 355ml bottle apple-flavoured

cider ¼ cup brown sugar, firmly

packed 2 tblsps soy sauce 2 tblsps white wine vinegar ¼ cup Dijon mustard 2 whole star anise 1 To make glaze, combine all ingredients in a large saucepan over a medium to high heat. Cook, stirring until smooth. Bring to boil. Gently boil, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, or until thickened (about 3 cups). Remove star anise and discard. Transfer half the glaze to a bowl. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve. 2 Cut through the ham rind, about 10cm from shank end of leg. To remove rind, run thumb around edge of rind, just under skin. Carefully, pull rind away from the fat, starting from the widest edge of ham, up to the cut. 3 Using a very sharp knife, make shallow, diagonal cuts, about 3cm apart, across the ham fat. Repeat in the opposite direction to form a diamond pattern. Don’t cut all the way through the fat or it will spread when exposed to the heat. 4 Wrap shank end of ham in foil. Place ham in an extra large roasting pan lined with baking paper. Brush with 1 cup of the remaining glaze. 5 Cook in a moderately slow oven (160C) for 30 minutes. Remove. Brush with half the remaining glaze. Return to oven. Cook a further 30 minutes. Remove. Brush with remaining glaze. Increase temperature to moderate (180C). 6 Cook for a further 30 minutes, or until caramelised. Remove. Cool slightly. 7 To serve, heat reserved glaze in a small saucepan over a low heat until warm. Place warm ham on a platter. Serve with glaze, fresh figs and crusty bread.