Like many people, Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year and I spend a lot of time in the kitchen making my family favourites. This recipe is for a honey glazed ham that I make every Christmas and it is definitely a hit in my household.
The honey glazed ham is prepared by boiling a gammon before making a sweet glaze that is poured over the top then roasted. The delicious combination of the savoury ham with the sweet flavour from the glaze makes this ham a must for the festive season.
The ingredients used makes this ham so delightful to cook as they leave a gorgeous Christmas scent in the home. The scent mainly comes from the cinnamon used in this recipe. We usually have the ham as part of the Christmas dinner on the day I make it then the leftovers are used for snacking and sandwiches throughout the Christmas season.
How To Serve Honey Glazed Ham
There are many delicious ways to serve this honey glazed ham so I’ve included some suggestions.
- This ham can be eaten as a snack. Pair it with foods such as cheeses, olives or grapes for a delicious filling snack.
- It can be served as part of a main course with some potatoes and vegetables.
- It can be used as part of the Christmas dinner to accompany your turkey. Like turkey, it goes perfect with cranberry sauce.
- If hosting it can be sliced and served as part of a buffet.
- It is delicious in a salad with boiled eggs.
- Perfect served in sandwiches with salad and mayonnaise.
Ingredients for Honey Glazed Ham
For cooking the gammon
- 3kg unsmoked boneless gammon
- 1 medium onion (peeled and cut in half)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon mixed spices
- Handful of cloves
For the glaze
- 100g soft brown sugar
- 50ml fortified red wine
- 20ml sherry vinegar
- 100g honey
How to Make Honey Glazed Ham
1. Place the gammon in a large saucepan and pour on enough cold water to cover. To the water, add the onion, black pepper, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and mixed spices. Bring to a boil and once the water begins to boil turn the heat down to simmer for 3 hours. While the ham is boiling, prepare a roasting tin by lining it with foil.
2. Once the ham has cooked, turn off the heat and allow to cool in the water for 1 hour before placing the ham in the prepared roasting tin. Cut and remove the string then cut away the skin and fat from the gammon leaving a thin even layer of fat. Score the fat in a diamond pattern and place a piece of clove into each diamond.
3. Preheat the oven to gas mark 5/375oF/190oC/170oC (fan). Add all the glaze ingredients to a saucepan and stir over a medium heat. Once the glaze begins to boil, turn the heat down to a low heat and simmer for 5 minutes until it turns into a glossy syrup. Ensure you do not leave unattended as it may boil over.
4. Pour half of the glaze over the ham and roast for 15 minutes. Pour the second half of the glaze over the ham and roast for another 15 minutes until the ham is golden brown. If the glaze solidifies when you go to pour the second half then just return it to the heat in the saucepan and it will loosen enough to pour on the ham. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 1 hour before carving.
Recipe Tips
- If you have trouble finding cinnamon sticks. You can use ground cinnamon instead. This does not compromise on flavour.
- The water left from boiling the gammon can be used as a base to make soup. Just add your favourite soup ingredients.
- I always use brown sugar but any sugar can be used.
- I line my roasting pan with foil before I bake the gammon as the glaze is very sticky and hard to clean. If you use foil, you can just remove the foil and discard it without any sticky complications.
- You can use any red wine for the glaze but my preference is madeira wine.
Nutrition
| Calories | Fat | Saturates | Carbs |
| 245kcal | 11.2g | 3.8g | 8.8g |
| Sugars | Fibre | Protein | Salt |
| 8.8g | 0.0g | 26.3g | 3.3g |
Storage
You can store this ham in the fridge for up to a week.
Recipes that may interest you
Honey Glazed Ham (Gammon)
Ingredients
For cooking the gammon
- 3kg unsmoked boneless gammon
- 1 medium onion (peeled and cut in half)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon mixed spices
- Handful of cloves
For the glaze
- 100g soft brown sugar
- 50ml fortified red wine
- 20ml sherry vinegar
- 100g honey
Instructions
- Place the gammon in a large saucepan and pour on enough cold water to cover. To the water, add the onion, black pepper, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and mixed spices. Bring to a boil and once the water begins to boil turn the heat down to simmer for 3 hours. While the ham is boiling, prepare a roasting tin by lining it with foil.
- Once the ham has cooked, turn off the heat and allow to cool in the water for 1 hour before placing the ham in the prepared roasting tin. Cut and remove the string then cut away the skin and fat from the gammon leaving a thin even layer of fat. Score the fat in a diamond pattern and place a piece of clove into each diamond.
- Preheat the oven to gas mark 5/375oF/190oC/170oC (fan). Add all the glaze ingredients to a saucepan and stir over a medium heat. Once the glaze begins to boil, turn the heat down to a low heat and simmer for 5 minutes until it turns into a glossy syrup. Ensure you do not leave unattended as it may boil over.
- Pour half of the glaze over the ham and roast for 15 minutes. Pour the second half of the glaze over the ham and roast for another 15 minutes until the ham is golden brown. If the glaze solidifies when you go to pour the second half then just return it to the heat in the saucepan and it will loosen enough to pour on the ham. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 1 hour before carving.
Sarah
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