STICKY, GLAZED GAMMON WITH PROSECCO, NAARTJIE AND BAY LEAVES

This festive favourite will be the star of the show. Using the roasting bag method, the meat will stay juicy and melt-in-themouth tender; replace the wine with ginger ale if you prefer.

Serves 8 (with leftovers)

Preparation: 30 minutes Cooking time: 3½ hours Oven temperature: 180°C

• 3kg smoked gammon (not previously frozen in the supermarket)

• 1 carrot, roughly chopped

• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

• 1 onion, quartered

• 4 bay leaves

• 750ml Prosecco or sweet sparkling wine

• juice and peel of 1 naartjie

• 15ml castor sugar GLAZE

• 125ml apricot jam

• 30ml honey

• 15ml Dijon mustard

• 15ml marmalade

1 Preheat the oven. Place the gammon, vegetables and bay leaves in a large roasting bag in a deep roasting dish and add the Prosecco and naartjie juice and peel. Seal the bag, prick a few holes in the top and roast for about 2½ hours. Remove from the oven and allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes on a chopping board.

Reserve 125ml of the cooking liquid.

2 Use a sharp knife to remove the skin from the meat without removing too much of the fat layer. Using the knife, score the fat in thin lines, squares or a diamond pattern without cutting into the meat. Return the gammon to the roasting dish.

3 Mix the glaze ingredients with the reserved cooking liquid and brush the glaze generously over the meat. Now roast it further so that the layer of fat can get crispy – about 45 minutes or until the glaze is golden-brown and caramelised. Brush regularly with the glaze.

4 Sprinkle a thin layer of castor sugar over the glaze and roast for another 15 minutes or so – this sets the glaze, making it shiny and crisp. Garnish with pomegranate rubies, if desired.