An easy way to make a delicious, flavoursome ham.
Ingredients
- 1 whole ham on the bone (weighing about 5.5 kg (12 lb))
- 4 celery sticks
- 2 carrots (halved)
- 1 onion (quartered)
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 peppercorns
- 2 whole cloves
- ½ bottle of white wine
- 150 g demerara sugar
- 3 tblsp english mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon clove powder
- 100 g fine breadcrumbs
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Soak the ham in cold water for 24 hours, changing the water occasionally. Drain well.
- Put the celery sticks, carrots and onion in a very large pan and add the bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, white wine and 300ml (1/2 pt) of cold water.
- Sit the soaked ham into the pan and cover the pan well with foil.
- Secure a lid on top and cook the ham over a medium heat for 2 1/2 hours. The liquid in the pan doesn't cover the ham so the ham will steam rather than boil.
- Top up with a little more water if the pan is going dry.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F /Gas 6). Remove the ham from the pan once steamed and leave to stand for 10-15 minutes. Peel away the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat.
- Melt the sugar in a small pan, remove from the heat and stir the mustard and clove powder through.
- Brush this mixture evenly over the ham. Scatter the bread-crumbs over to stick and transfer to the oven to bake for 30-40 minutes.
- Once golden, remove from the oven and rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.
