Ham glazed in California Prune Juice and Ginger

1. Place the gammon joint into a large saucepan, then cover with the California Prune Juice and water (make sure the joint of meat is covered if there is not enough liquid add more water)
2. Slice the ginger up into 1cm thick pieces and add to the pan followed by the mixed spice and star anise.
3. Then heat the pan up to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 hours
4. The general rule of thumb for cooking a joint this way is 20 minutes per 500g, but I have allowed a little extra time just to make sure it is lovely and tender. If the liquid evaporates a lot just top it up so that it is always covered and the ham is just popping out a little from the water.
5. When the meat is cooked, carefully lift it out of the pan and leave to drain. Remove half of the liquid from the pan then return back onto the heat and bring up to the boil. Continue to boil the liquid until it is reduced to a syrup type consistency.
6. Place the drained gammon into a roasting tray and using a sharp knife carefully remove the skin, then cut score lines into the fat to create a diamond pattern.
7. Pour the reduced cooking liquid over the gammon and place in a hot oven 200°C for 30 minutes to caramelise.
8. Once the gammon has become a delicious golden amber colour remove from the oven and leave to cool if you can before slicing. The ham will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days.

If you have any ham leftover, shred it up and place it into labelled freezer bags with 2-3 tbsp of water, that way you can use it for a quick and easy carbonara when you’re short on time.