MIKEY BELL

A cooked ham is the gift that keeps on giving. I aim to never not have cold ham in the fridge. Ham is a gift that keeps on giving, if you’re willing to see it as such. Cook the ham exactly as is below and let me paint you a picture of the possibilities that come thereafter. 

• Torn to shreds and mixed with some sharp, melty cheese in a toastie.
• Folded into some cold mash, shaped into patties, fried and served with a fried egg. 
• Shredded into a white-bean-heavy soup with broth made from the ham poaching liquid.
• Finely chopped in a pickle and boiled-egg salad. Sliced thickly in a good, crusty white-bread sandwich full of mayo, mustard and sauerkraut. 

You don’t have to be a pomegranate person, I promise. You could substitute the pomegranate juice below with orange or pineapple juice. 

Serves 3 – 4 with sides

750g smoked gammon joint

1 litre pomegranate juice

1 lime

1 orange

1 onion

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

2 tablespoons soft brown sugar

2 teaspoons mustard powder

1 tablespoon treacle

1. Remove the gammon from its outer vacuum packaging but keep the netting or string in place as this is what keeps it intact while it cooks. Place it into a large pot. 
2. Empty in the pomegranate juice, adding some extra water from the tap, if necessary, to fully cover the joint. Squeeze the juice of the lime into the pan, and add thick orange slices. 
3. Now halve the onion (don’t bother peeling) and add it along with the garlic (peel and crush lightly with the flat of your knife). Throw in the peppercorns. 
4. Place the pan on a high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 55 minutes. During this bubbling time, preheat your oven to 200°C fan (or, if your oven isn’t fan-assisted, 220°C). 
5. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, mustard powder and treacle, and mix these together. This will be a thick mix and tough to stir, but you could add the merest pinprick of water to give it a runnier consistency for ease. I enjoy the tough process of stirring it and I don’t know what that says about my personality. Answers on a postcard, please. 
6. Line a small roasting tray with some foil and, once the joint’s boiling time is up, carefully move it from the hot liquid to the foil-lined tray. 
7. Spoon the treacle glaze over the joint with a rubber spatula for ease until it’s well coated. Don’t worry if you feel it’s running all down the ham and into the foil tray – we’ll be basting, now in a minute. 
8. Cover the joint loosely but tightly with more foil and then put in the hot oven for 15 minutes. After this time is up, remove from the oven, take off the foil cover, spoon any treacle juices in the pan over the ham, and then bake for a further 10 minutes. 
9. Take it out and let it rest for about 15 minutes just to cool slightly before putting it onto a carving board. 
10. Carve the ham into slices, arrange the slices on a large plate and then pour over any treacle juices from the roasting tray to serve. Store any leftover ham wrapped tightly in foil or in an airtight container for 3–4 days in the fridge and see intro for some ideas with what to do with it.