You will be wanting to make this for the smell alone! The rich sticky aroma of the marmalade glaze will fill your house and make every guest sit at the dinner table early. The ham tastes even better the next day, as the flavours have been allowed to develop and deepen. Try the leftover ham sandwiches between a soft white roll and plenty of tangy mustard.
Method
Start by placing the gammon joint into a very deep pot, and cover with water. Bring to a rolling boil, turn off the heat and drain. Return the gammon back into the pot and pour orange juice halfway up the gammon, topping off with cold water to completely cover the joint.
Add the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon sticks into the pot along with the peeled shallots. Place a lid over the pot and bring to the boil again, turning down the heat to a low simmer.
Cook on a low heat for 3 hours, topping up with extra orange juice as this will boil off.
Preheat your oven to 180/160 fan. Line a large, deep baking tray with tin foil.
Remove the gammon from the pot and place straight onto the prepared baking tray. Remove the skin from the gammon, leaving behind a thinnish layer of fat. Score the gammon joint in a pattern of your choosing, such as a diamond shape. Make sure your knife is sharp for this.
Stud with cloves in the centre of each diamond if you choose that shape or dotted around the ham.
For the Marmalade Glaze, add all the ingredients together into a medium pot. Turn the heat to low/medium to begin with to allow the sugar to dissolve without burning. Once the sugar has completely been combined with the rest of the ingredients, turn the heat to a near boil. Stir continuously. This should be a lovely glossy, darkish sticky texture, with a fragrant smell.
Brush over your glaze with a pastry brush and pop the Gammon into the oven for 40-45 minutes. Frequently spooning over the Gammon with your marmalade glaze, and any pan juices. Do this at least 3 times to create a wonderfully sticky outer layer. Turn off the heat, remove from the oven and allow to rest. This can be enjoyed warm or cool!
