Christmastime is full of traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. One of our favourite Christmastime traditions is having a glazed ham at the family meal. Nothing quite says Christmas Day Meal like a glazed ham!

We recommend popping down to your local butcher and sourcing a free-range ham cured by traditional methods. 

This is our go to recipe for the traditional ham on Christmas Day.

What you need

1 whole bone-in ham

30 whole cloves

A bunch of rosemary

For the glaze Glaze

½ cup coconut sugar

2 Tbsp raw honey

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

What you do 

Preheat the oven to 150°C and place ham on large oven tray on a bed or rasemary, warming for 10-15 minutes until the skin starts to loosen (this helps it peel off easily).

While the ham is warming, prepare the Glaze, add the coconut sugar, honey and maple syrup to a small bowl, stirring until well combined. 

Remove ham from oven and increase temperature to 180°C. Cut through skin around shank then peel off ham skin by gently pushing your fingers between skin and fat. Discard skin.

Use a sharp knife to lightly score the fat in diagonal crosshatches (avoid cutting right through the fat as this will split during cooking. Insert a clove at each of the points where the crosshatches intersect. Brush ham all over the Glaze and bake until golden (about 1 hour), adding remaining glaze as needed.  

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Tip: store unused ham in the fridge wrapped in a damp muslin bag or a clean tea towel soaked in water or lemonade. 

We asked some of our team at Suncourt how they used up their leftover Christmas ham the next day: 

“BBQ Hawaiian pizza with the real ham” 

“Classic sandwiches on fresh bread and heaps and heaps of butter”

“Cold meat and hot mash and gravy” 

“Mix mustard and mayo with the ham on fresh buns” 

“Ham and cheddar cheese scones”

“Ham and corn chowder” 

Meri Kirihimete! We wish you a safe and relaxing Summer Break!