The English Christmas-table centrepiece — a whole gammon poached in cider until tender, then studded with cloves, glazed with honey-mustard, and roasted hot to lacquer. Sliced thick, served with mustard and mash.
Serves 12Prep 30 minCook 4 hr
What to ask for
This recipe calls for Gammon. Can't get it where you are?
Ingredients & method
Ingredients
1 gammon joint (3 to 4 kg), unsmoked or lightly smoked, rind on
2 litres dry cider
1 onion, halved
2 carrots, chunked
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
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For the glaze:
100 g demerara sugar
3 tablespoons English mustard
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon malt vinegar
About 30 whole cloves
Method
1Place the gammon in a deep pot. Cover with the cider, top up with water if needed. Add the onion, carrot, bay, peppercorns, and coriander.
2Bring slowly to a bare simmer. Cook for 25 minutes per kilo (about 90 minutes for a 3.5 kg joint) — the broth should never boil hard.
3Lift the gammon from the broth. Let it cool to handleable warm. Reserve some broth for soup.
4Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F). Carefully cut off the rind, leaving a 5 mm layer of fat. Score the fat in a 2 cm diamond pattern. Stud the centre of each diamond with a clove.
5Mix the sugar, mustard, honey, and vinegar to a thick paste. Brush half over the gammon.
6Roast for 30 minutes, brushing with the remaining glaze every 10 minutes, until deeply lacquered and crisp at the edges.
7Rest 15 minutes. Slice thickly across the grain. Serve with English mustard, mashed potatoes, and braised red cabbage.
Cook this well
$$ · everyday prep, trimming, and carving
Slice against the grain cleanly every time
Slicing steak, trimming small amounts of fat, chopping aromatics, and general kitchen work.
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Chef's tip A gammon that's too salty after curing can be blanched: cover with cold water, bring to a boil, drain, and start the cider poach with fresh liquid. Most modern gammon doesn't need this.
Cook this later?Save the recipe, then keep notes on what worked and what you'd change next time.
