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- 2.6kg gammon hocks (also called knuckles), check with your butcher that they are cured
- 500 ml apple juice
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- Small handful thyme sprigs
- 1 tsp. black peppercorns
- Oil, to grease
- Large handful parsley, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. wholegrain mustard
- 1 Tbsp. capers, rinsed
- 3 gelatine leaves, we used Costa Fine-Leaf
- 200 ml cider
- Toasts
To serve
- Fruity chutney or onion marmalade
- Caper berries, optional
- Toasts
- Step 1Put the gammon hocks into a large pan and add the apple juice, bay leaves, onion, thyme and peppercorns. Add cold water to cover. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 2 1/2-3hr, topping up with the water as needed, until the hocks are tender and the meat is falling from the bone. Leave hocks to cool in the liquid for about 1hr, then lift out (reserve liquid.
- Step 2Strain liquid into a clean pan through a fine sieve and boil fiercely to reduce to about 500ml (17fl oz). Set aside. Lightly oil a 900g (2lb) loaf tin and line with a couple of layers of clingfilm, making sure there is plenty hanging over the sides (to make removal easier).
- Step 3Remove and discard the skin from the hocks and finely shred the meat - you should have about 700g (1 1/2lb). Discard any fatty or sinewy bits.
- Step 4Put hock into a bowl and mix in parsley, mustard and capers. Spoon into tin, pressing down. Chill.
- Step 5Put gelatine into a pan and cover with the cider. Leave to soak for 5min. Heat gently to dissolve the gelatine. Take off heat, add the reduced cooking liquid and check seasoning.
- Step 6Slowly pour the liquid into the tin, allowing it to seep in until it's just covering the meat (you might not need all of the liquid).
- Step 7To serve, unwrap clingfilm and invert on to a serving platter or board. Lift off tin and peel off clingfilm. Spoon some chutney or onion marmalade on top and decorate with caper berries, if using. Serve with toasts.
PER SERVING (without chutney and toasts):
Calories: 164cals
Protein: 17g
Fat: 7g
Sat fat: 2g
Carbs: 7g
Sugars: 7g
Fibre: 0g
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
