Recipes
Honey-Glazed Holiday Hasselback Ham
This festive centrepiece is a showstopper: tender, juicy ham with a buttery honey rub and sticky spiced glaze, perfect for special occasions. The pre-sliced cut allows the flavours to seep into every groove, making it rich, aromatic, and incredibly easy to serve.
Ingredients
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1 cooked ham or cooked gammon joint (about 2–3 kg)
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(If using raw gammon, simmer in water for 1–1½ hours first, then proceed with glazing.)
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50g butter, melted
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2 tbsp honey
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1 tbsp tomato purée
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2–3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp garlic purée)
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1 tsp mixed spice (or jerk seasoning, cinnamon, or anything festive)
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Pinch of salt and pepper
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50–75 ml soy sauce
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15–20 ml vinegar (malt, cider, or white wine vinegar)
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1 tbsp ground ginger
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1 tsp paprika
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3 tbsp black treacle
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Optional extras: a pinch of cinnamon, jerk seasoning, juniper berries, or anything you like for warmth
Method
Preheat your oven to 140–150°C (fan). Line a roasting tray with baking paper to avoid mess.
If the ham is pre-sliced or spiral-cut, keep the slices together so they don’t fan out while cooking.
Mix together the melted butter, honey, tomato purée, garlic, mixed spice, salt, and pepper. Rub this mixture all over the ham, making sure it gets into the grooves of the slices.
Place the ham into the lined roasting tray and roast for 2 hours, basting every 20–30 minutes with the juices from the tray.
In a saucepan, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, ground ginger, paprika, black treacle, and any optional spices. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn off the heat. Let it sit to infuse.
After about 1 hour of roasting, begin brushing the glaze over the ham. Continue to glaze and baste every 20–30 minutes until the ham is glossy, sticky, and caramelised.
Once golden and caramelised, remove the ham from the oven and rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with roast potatoes, sweet potatoes, or your favourite festive sides.
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