Top 10 Christmas ham recipes
Get some delicious Christmas dinner ideas with our top ham recipes. From a sticky ginger glaze to parsley and cider sauce, they're sure to be crowd-pleasers
Deliciously tender, glazed and golden, ham is the ultimate alternative to the traditional Christmas turkey. Whether you’re looking for quick and easy recipes that can be prepared in advance, or stunning showstoppers, we have a recipe for every taste. We have everything you need for Christmas, including cooking tips, video tutorials and party-planning tools.
Have we whet your appetite for more festive favourites? Try our other favourite Christmas ham recipes and ideas for serving.
Watch our easy-to-follow video and learn how to prepare a ham with tips from the experts.
1. Cola ham with maple & mustard glaze
Encased in a golden, sticky glaze, our cola ham with maple & mustard glaze is sure to be a firm favourite during the festive season. With a warming infusion of cinnamon-spiced stock and aromatic cloves, this easy recipe takes just 10 minutes to prepare and can be roasted on the day, or up to two days ahead. Serve hot or cold, with all your favourite trimmings.
2. Ginger beer & tangerine glazed ham
This fruity ginger beer & tangerine glazed ham is great for on-the-fly entertaining. Spend just 20 minutes prepping in the kitchen, then you're free to spend more time with your dinner guests. The three-ingredient glaze thickens and caramelises during cooking into a deliciously decadent coating. We guarantee people will be coming back for seconds.
3. Slow cooker ham with sticky ginger glaze
We love a recipe that makes good use of our favourite kitchen kit. Easy and versatile, our slow cooker ham is ideal for Christmas dinner, a Boxing Day buffet or served sliced with chips for a hearty dinner. It can also be easily halved, making it a good choice for smaller family meals too.
4. Sticky treacle-glazed ham
Enveloped in rich, dark treacle and tangy orange zest, our treacle-glazed ham is the ultimate impressive centrepiece. It's also freezable, and uses a steam-roast method to cook, meaning you don’t need an enormous pan to boil it in. Just mix the mustard, treacle and orange zest together with orange juice to create a fragrant glaze that can be painted generously over the ham.
5. Apricot & ginger ham
This fruity apricot & ginger ham infused with bay leaves, allspice and cloves makes a fantastic Christmas main course. Serve in generous slabs, and don't skimp on the slices! It can also be frozen and served hot or cold – great for those days when you don’t want to cook. It's so delicious, we can't guarantee that there will be enough for leftovers.
6. Festive gammon
Certain to be a dinner highlight, this traditional festive gammon is perfect for any special celebration, especially at Christmas. Overnight brining is the key to this super-succulent dish, but the extra effort is well worth it. Moreish, juicy and infused with subtle spice, you’ll be coming back to this recipe for years to come.
7. Ham & crackling
Our ham & crackling will save you some stress in the kitchen and takes just a handful of ingredients to make. Make it up to three days in advance and keep covered in the fridge. No one will turn down a plateful of wafer-thin ham and crispy crackling. To serve, carve into slices and break the crackling into shards to eat alongside.
8. Spiced Christmas gammon with membrillo glaze
Allspice, cloves and cinnamon give this wintry ham a real warmth. Featuring an irresistible sticky quince and orange glaze, this ham is quick to prepare and gives your traditional main course a fun Spanish twist. This spiced Christmas gammon with membrillo glaze is the perfect balance of sweet and savoury.
9. Miso-glazed roast ham
Bored of the standard Christmas fare? Our miso-glazed roast ham gives a dose of umami flavours and a subtle sweetness. The perfect centrepiece for a Sunday dinner with family and friends, this succulent sweet and savoury roast ham requires a little more effort but is certain to impress. Should you have any leftovers, you can enjoy it cold over the next few days, making it ideal for quick festive sandwiches.
10. Glazed gammon with parsley & cider sauce
A wonderful alternative to turkey, this recipe takes some effort and time to make but is sure to get the thumbs up from all the family. Our classic glazed gammon with parsley & cider sauce is bursting with seasonal flavours. It'll be snapped up at the dinner table, buffet or the next day in doorstop sandwiches.
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What's your favourite way to serve Christmas ham? Leave a comment below...
