Christmas just isn’t Christmas without a delicious, juicy pork gammon. And whether it is served on Christmas Day with all the traditional trimmings, or served cold with plenty of salads, it remains a favourite for most.

Gammon (serves 6 to 8)You will need

1½ kg uncooked, boneless gammon

2 sticks celery

1 bay leaf

1 t (5 ml) black peppercorns

2 carrots, sliced

1 onion, cut into wedges

750 ml beer, cider or gingerbeer

½ cup (120 g) soft brown sugar

5 whole cloves

water to coverFor the glaze

4 T mustard

½ cup (125 ml) soft brown sugarMethod

Place the meat on a saucer turned upside down (to prevent burn), then afterwards in a large heavy based pot with a snug-fitting lid in which the gammon will comfortably fit.

Add all the ingredients. Cover and bring the gammon to a slow boil for 1¼ hours. Turn the gammon around half way through cooking period.

Remove the pot from the heat and immediately wrap the saucepan first in a thick layer of newspaper and then in a thick blanket, duvet or sleeping bag.

Set aside in a cardboard box or buffered by pillows for 6 hours. (If you are using 3-5 kg ham, leave it for 10 or 12 hours for a 7 kg ham). Cool in the liquid.

One hour before serving warm preheat the oven to 220°C. Remove the ham from the cooking liquid. If the skin is still on use a small, sharp knife to peel it away, leaving the fat layer behind. Slice into the fat layer to form a diamond pattern.

Spread the mustard over the ham and press brown sugar into the mustard. Bake until the sugar layer turns caramel brown. Serve warm or cold.

Tips: Serve thinly sliced at room temperature. Outstanding on sandwiches the next day, or mix chunks into your potato salad.