Baked Ham with Marmalade and Peppercorn Glaze(English)

Thinking of trading turkey for an alternative festive centrepiece? Deliciously sweet and salty roast ham could be the showstopper you’re looking for. Here is a classic English dish for a holiday or sunday dinner. Pork becomes ham by the process of 'brining', which means it's submerged in salted water with other flavourings (like herbs and spices), and left for a number of days or weeks. The salt penetrates the meat and acts as a preserver. This process also keeps the ham nice and pink when it's cooked. Before you cook a brined ham, it's a good idea to soak it in cold water overnight, to wash away some of the excess salt. Alternatively, pop it in a deep pot, cover with water, bring to the boil and poach it for half an hour or so. Remember, poaching liquor will be super-salty so don't be tempted to use it for your gravy.

1 (6½-8½ lb) middle cut gammon, with knuckle left on (3-4 kg)

Poaching:
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 ribs celery, roughly chopped
2 fresh bay leaves
16 black peppercorns
1 bouquet garni (1 piece of leek, 1 stick of celery, 1 fresh bay leaf, 1 sprig of fresh thyme)
2 lemons or oranges, freshly juiced and zested

Roasting:
3 Tbsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 jar thin-rind marmalade
½ bunch fresh rosemary

Place the ham in a large, snug-fitting, pot. Add the carrots and celery, with the bay leaves, peppercorns and bouquet garni. Add the lemon juice and zest.

Cover with water. Place the pot over a high heat, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes with a lid on, skimming away any scum that rises to the surface, as and when needed.

When the time's up, remove from the heat and allow to cool for half an hour in the broth – this will allow the flavours to really penetrate the meat. Remove the veg and put the broth in a container for freezing.

Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C/150°C fan, Gas Mark 3).

Carefully remove the meat to a board and, using a knife, take off the skin. Depending on the breed and quality of the pig, you should have a nice layer of fat. Remove some of the fat as well, to leave you with about 1 cm. The extra fat can be kept in the freezer for roasting with potatoes another time.

Score the fat left on the meat in a criss-cross fashion, and while it's moist, season it generously with 3 Tbsp. of black pepper.

Place the ham in a roasting tray and roast for 20 minutes, or until the fat renders and becomes slightly crispy.

Remove from the oven, stir the marmalade to loosen, then rub it all over the meat. Tie the bottom of the rosemary bunch and place in the corner of the pan with the ends sticking out. You'll use the rosemary as a baster so you don't want teh ends to get in the pan juices.

Return to the oven for about 1 hour and baste frequently - using the rosemary as a brush - until beautifully golden and crisp.

Remove from the oven to a serving platter and spoon over the pan juices.

Makes 10 servings.