A baked ham is very versatile and not only for Christmas – they’re great for communion luncheons or even Easter feasts and I’m partial to ham with cabbage, champ and parsley sauce. But I’m very fussy: the cabbage must be just cooked, not over cooked, the champ perfectly seasoned and I like onions in my parsley sauce – I did say I was fussy!

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

– 4.5kg ham on the bone, preferably lightly smoked, soaked overnight
– 1 onion, peeled
– 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
– 3 bay leaves
– 5 to 6 cloves
– 10 to 12 black peppercorns
– 2 cinnamon sticks
– 600ml cider
– about 3 litres water

For the glaze:
– 60g dark brown sugar
– 100g maple syrup
– 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
– 1 orange, juice and zest
– 3 to 4 medium oranges, peeled and sliced thinly, to decorate
– cloves, to insert
– 8 star anise

Method:

1. Weigh the ham before you begin to cook. The cooking time for ham is 20 minutes for every 500g, so a 4.5kg ham will need to cook for 3 hours.
2. Place the ham, onion, carrots, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon sticks in a large saucepan. Add the cider and enough cold water to cover the ham. Bring to the boil and simmer according to the calculated cooking time. Keep topping up the water level and scooping the foam off the top as needed.
3. In the meantime, mix all the ingredients for the glaze and set aside.
4. Carefully remove the ham from the liquid. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Lift the ham into a large roasting tin. Cut away the skin leaving an even layer of fat. Score the layer of fat in a diamond pattern and spread some of the glaze over the top.
5. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Then arrange the orange slices over the top, inserting them with cloves. Add the star anise in between the orange slices. Spread on some more glaze and roast for a further 20 minutes, until the oranges are golden. Leave to rest, covered, for 20 minutes before carving.

A Taste of Home is a food story from Ballyknocken House, nestled in the gentle rolling hills of County Wicklow, where generations of Catherine Fulvio’s family have lived and farmed for over 100 years.

Combining modern Irish food with farm-to-fork principles, Catherine takes on traditional Irish recipes and gives them her own twist to reflect the abundance of ingredients available on her doorstep. From beef that has grazed on lush pasturelands and Wicklow lamb famous for its quality of flavour, to the delicious seafood available nearby.

Recipes include classic Irish family dishes made using simple, fresh ingredients and set against the timeless backdrop of the Irish countryside, Catherine’s delicious, wholesome recipes celebrate the best ingredients Ireland has to offer.

A Taste of Home is published by Gill Books, and is available to buy on www.gillbooks.ie.