At the moment I am cooking what will hopefully be a lovely joint of ham, so while it’s simmering away in the pot I thought I’d tell you all my top tips.

My ingredients: cloves, bay leaves, pepper corns, mustard seeds & powder, red wine, water, mixed herbs, honey.

To get tasty, un-salty ham the trick is in the preparation. As soon as you purchase your joint of ham remove all packaging and soak in cold water, ideally for a least 24 hours. But however long it is best to change the water approximately every 12 hours (definitely refresh if leaving for longer than 24 hours before cooking).

And to begin cooking, put as many cloves as you desire into the ham around all sides, I think this is what really adds the flavour. Add a little water to a sauce pan large enough for your joint. Sprinkle in some mustard powder and whisk together.  Add the bay leaves, pepper corns, mustard seeds, red wine and mixed herbs. Add the ham joint and cover with water. Put the lid on your pan and place on a high heat until the water starts boiling, then lower heat to a minimum.

Your ham can be left like this for a few hours until it is cooked, while in the meantime you do something else, perhaps enjoy a nice glass of wine!

You can use your ham just like this. However I usually leave until the next evening or when it is cold, score the fat in diagonals to form diamonds, pop into a roasting dish with some honey and roast until golden (cover initally to avoid honey browning too quickly). Serve hot for a lovely dinner. Delicious as: a main meal with roast potatoes and veg; used cold for ham egg and chips; or as a sandwich filler. I’ll let you know how mine turns out. Enjoy…

I would like to thank you all for reading my blog and I hope you are finding what I have written so far interesting. I would love to hear your feedback and comments.