Ginger glazed ham

1) Place the ham joint in a large pan and add the dry ginger ale. Bring the pan to the boil then lower the heat slightly so that it keeps bubbling steadily for 4 1/2 hours. Towards the end of the cooking time, preheat the oven to 220C/Gas Mark 7.

2) As the oven heats, begin the glaze. In a bowl, put the ginger preserve and stir in the hot English mustard. Add the dark brown sugar then sprinkle in the ground cloves.

3) Gently lift the cooked ham out of the pan and place on a foil-lined baking tray. Carefully cut away the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat. There is no need to score the surface, simply spread on the glaze with a spatula and place the tray with the ham into the oven for 20 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

Cook's Note: If you cannot get hold of ginger preserve, you can use ordinary orange marmalade and add 1 tsp of dry, ground ginger.

Recipe from Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson (published by Chatto & Windus) Visit Nigella's site.