Warm baked ham
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Your support makes all the difference.This will serve up to 20 people, so it's fantastic to eat on Boxing Day and then save the rest for sandwiches, or to serve warmed in a frying pan with scrambled eggs.
Serves up to 20
1 leg of ham (ask your butcher to order one for you)
5 carrots
4 sticks of celery
4 leeks
10 juniper berries
15 peppercorns
5 fresh bay leaves
For the glaze
4tbsp Dijon mustard (or grainy if you prefer)
6tbsp quince jelly (or any other good-quality jam. My mother used to use really strong marmalade and it tasted strangely delicious)
15 cloves
Place the ham in a bucket, cover with cold water and leave to soak for 24 hours. This is done to take the saltiness out of it. Remove the ham and place it in a deep stockpot.
Next, roughly chop the carrots, celery and leeks and add them to the pot. Then add the juniper berries, peppercorns and bay leaves. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. This can take up to one and a half hours. Turn down to a gentle simmer and cook for a further two hours.
For the glaze, heat the oven to 230C/450F/Gas8. Remove the ham from the pot. Cut around the shin of the leg and peel back the skin. Using a sharp knife, make a series of diagonal crosses both ways across the fat and stud each resulting diamond with a clove.
Mix together the quince jelly and the mustard until smooth. Place the ham on a baking tray and smear with the paste. Place in the oven, rotating it to roast the ham evenly, for around 20 minutes or until gloriously sticky and golden in colour. Serve with grainy mustard or chutney.
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