Ask your butcher if the ham needs soaking – these days it’s unlikely.

The ham should be cooked for 20 minutes per pound/450g.

Put the ham in a saucepan and cover with water. Throw in a few cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves and a couple of spoons of brown sugar.  An onion wouldn’t go astray either.

Bring the ham slowly to the boil, for about half an hour. Keep an eye and when it starts to bubble, turn the heat down to a low simmer. Now cooked for 20 minutes per pound/450g

When cooked, let it cool in the liquid a little then take it out, remove the outer rind of fat carefully and stud the the fat that’s left with cloves. Criss-cross with a knife first if you’re feeling fancy.

Spread a glaze over the ham (see below) and cook in the oven at  160C / gas 3 – for about half an hour. Baste with liquid as you go. (tip: line the tin with foil to gather any burnt sugar)

Glaze:
There as many different glazes as there are cooks. Here are two:

1. easiest: pour over a few tablespoons of melted marmalade
2. my (current) favourite:
heat 2oz/50G clear honey and 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
pour this over ham
sprinkle with 5oz/125g of brown sugar
baste with sherry during the cooking