Honey and mustard roast gammon

 

2.75kg Sausageland gammon joint (middle cut)

1.5 tbsp Dijon or English mustard

2 tbsp clear honey

2 Handfuls of cloves

 

Method

1. Place the gammon joint into a large bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak for 24 hours. Drain well.

2. Preheat an oven to 160°C

3. You’ll need a roasting tin large enough to take the joint with room to spare. Lay a sheet of kitchen foil in the tin. Lay a second sheet across it, at right angles. Sit the sausageland gammon joint square in the middle. Bring the silver foil up around the gammon, sealing edges together to form a loose but airtight wrapping around the gammon.

3. Roast for 2 hours. Increase the oven temperature to 220°C/gas mark 7. Open up the foil and lift the gammon out onto a large chopping board. Drain off all the juices. Make a couple of long cuts through the outer layer of skin (but not the fat underneath). Peel the skin off in strips, be careful – it will be extremely hot.

4. Mix the mustard and honey together, and then smear thickly all over the layer of fat. Score the fat with parallel lines first in one direction and then at an angle to it, to cover the joint in a pattern of diamonds. Push a clove into the centre of each diamond.

5. Return the joint to the oven for a final 25 minutes or until richly browned and glazed. If you are serving the joint hot, let it rest in a warm place for 20-30 minutes before carving. For cold gammon, leave it to cool.