Preparation time: 5 minutes, plus soaking and cooling
Cooking time: 3 and a quarter hours (approx.)
Glaze
250ml | 10fl oz bottle cider
On the evening before Christmas Eve, put the ham in a large bowl of water. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave to soak overnight, to remove any excess salt. On Christmas Eve drain the ham and weigh it, calculating the cooking time @ 25 minutes to the 450g | 1lb plus 20 minutes over. Put the ham into a large saucepan, cover again with cold water adding the brown sugar, bay leaves and half lemon. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for HALF the estimated cooking time. As you will be baking it later there is no need to fully cook it at this stage.
Remove the ham from the pan, skin it, score the surface in a criss-cross, or trellis, pattern and stud it with the cloves. Thinly spread the mustard over the top and sprinkle with the sugar. Put the ham in a roasting tin, covered with foil. Preheat the oven to 190C (375F, gas 5) and bake for the remainder of the estimated cooking time. Remove the foil 20 minutes before the end of cooking.
On the day, cut as many slices as you need, heat gently in a pan with the cider and serve.
