You know when there are just certain things that you get scared to cook? For a lot of people, chicken is a daunting thing to bake because it’s hard to tell when it’s ready, and when Sam tries to cook it he can’t tell when it changes colour (he’s colour blind). For me, Roasting a full joint isn’t a challenge to be taken lightly, in fact, this is the first time I have ever done it. And trust me, if I can manage it, so can you!

So, let’s get stuck in shall we?

First things first, whenever you are using a joint of salty meat, it is important to soak it overnight in the fridge to get rid of the excess salt.

Once you’ve soaked the meat, you can poke some cloves into the meat to give it a sweet and spicy kick.

Take any blackcurrant jam and cover the meat in it. It might seem like a strange combination, but salty and sweet go so well together for this dish! 

Once it’s cooked, simply carve that bad boy up and tuck in! We had it with a roast dinner and then used the leftovers for pea and ham soup.

Blackcurrant Glazed Gammon

Ingredients:

• Gammon Joint (any size)
• Whole Cloves
• Blackcurrant Jam

1. Soak the joint over night in cold water.
2. Preheat your oven to 180C. Pat the meat dry and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes. Take your cloves and pierce them through the meat at 1 inch intervals.
3. Place the joint onto a foil lined roasting tray, cover with foil and place in the oven. You can calculate how much time you need to cook the meat like this: for every 450g, the meat needs to be cooked for 30 minutes. The joint I am using here is 750g, therefore I need to cook it for 50 minutes. However my mum has always left hers in for an extra 15-20 minutes after that, so my total cooking time will be 1 hour and 10 minutes.
4. Once the joint has been cooking for 40 minutes, take it out of the oven and cover it in Blackcurrant jam. This will create a sweet and zingy glaze which compliments the saltiness of the meat perfectly. Leave the meat uncovered and pop it back in the oven for 20-30 minutes . After 10 minutes, take the joint out and spoon the juices over the top of the meat to prevent it drying out.
5. Once you’re meat is cooked, leave it to cool for 5-8 minutes, to let the meat rest. Then either carve it yourself or get your man to do it for you if you aren’t comfortable with carving it yourself.
6. Serve as a roast with your favourite sides, here I served mine with my Garlic, Lemon and Herb Roasted Potatoes and some vegetables. Enjoy!