Cherry Glazed Ham

My favourite item at Christmas is a ham because it is the easiest thing to make for Christmas and feeds a large crowd and lasts for weeks afterwards. Hams in Australia come cured and cooked (in the UK some have to be boiled) so that all you have to do is remove the rind, score the fat and add some glaze and then bake. This year Australian Pork sent me a beautiful ham from Sunshine Meats in Milperra. Last year the full leg of ham barely just made it in my oven so this year I opted for a beautiful double smoked half leg and was perfect for the amount of people plus with enough leftover. And it seems everyone is doing cherry glazed hams if my Instagram feed is anything to go by!

I feel like a cherry glaze can be a uniquely Southern Hemisphere sort of ham glaze because cherries happen to be in season then. But realistically this can be made if you have a cold weather Christmas because it uses cherry jam and you can also use frozen cherries too. This cherry ham glaze has a cherry jam mixed with spices like mixed spice, fennel and whole cherries. The quantity is enough for a whole leg of ham, feel free to halve it if you have a half leg of ham.

Cherry Glazed Ham

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 60 minutes

Serves: 12 people

• 200g/7ozs cherry jam
• 1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs brandy (rum or whisky)
• 1 cup/220g/7.7ozs light or dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons mixed spice
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 100g/3.5ozs cherries, pitted
• 1 half or full leg of ham

Step 1 - First make the glaze (you can make this up to a week beforehand). Heat the cherry jam, brandy, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, mixed spice fennel seeds in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes until starting to thicken. Add cherries and simmer for another 5 minutes. It should be a syrupy consistency. Blend up into a puree.

Step 2 - Fit your oven racks so that they can fit your ham. Preheat oven to 180C/350F and line a baking dish with parchment. Carefully remove the rind from the ham. I find it easiest to cut it at an inconspicuous point and then slide my fingers under the rind. Score the fat with a sharp knife but don't cut deep enough to reach the meat. Brush with the glaze and bake for 15 minutes. Repeat with more glaze and repeat twice for a total of 45 minutes for a half leg of ham or 1 hour 15 minutes for a full leg of ham. Serve with extra cherries on top.