Maple and mustard roast ham

Whether you enjoy yours on Christmas Day or as part of a Boxing Day buffet, this maple and mustard ham is sure to impress family and friends this festive season. 

What’s the difference between a ham and a gammon?

There’s very little difference between the two, both are taken from the hind leg of a pig, but a ham is ready to eat and a gammon requires cooking before eating. Both have been cured in salt and have a very similar base flavour, the flavour comes from the glaze or rub that you choose to put on your gammon. 

The different ways to cook a ham

There are two main ways to cook a gammon; boil on the hob or roast in the oven. Often a boiled ham is placed in the oven at the end of its cooking time to crisp up the fat, whereas a roasted ham (like the recipe below), omits the boiling step and is steam roasted in a liquid of your choice and then crisped up in the oven for the final 30min of cooking time. 

Why have we cooked ours on the bone?

The recipe below uses a bone-in gammon since the bone helps prevent the meat from drying out and results in a more succulent and flavoursome meat. However for a more traditional shaped gammon that’s easier to carve, use a boneless gammon joint. 

What flavours can you use?

Traditional flavours used are mustard and honey, but for a boozier ham try cider or sloe gin. For a fruity take, try our redcurrant ham, marmalade or a cranberry and orange recipes. If you’re a slow cooker lover, we even have a Coca-Cola ham recipe! 

How can you use your leftover ham?

If you have any leftover ham then there are a whole host of ways you can use it up. An easy way to use up you ham is in a pie or a stew. Try our ham and sprout spaghetti for a speedy midweek meal, or for a healthy take on ham, egg and chips with this delicious brunch recipe.

Find all of our favourite Christmas ham recipes to feed a crowd here.