Angela Hartnett's best-ever Christmas ham

Method

• step 1

  When you're ready to cook, drain the ham and transfer it to a clean pan, large enough to hold the ham, with the carrots, onions, leek, bay leaf and thyme. Cover with fresh water, cover with a lid, place the pan over a medium heat and cook the ham for up to 2 hours. The time will depend on the size of your ham - the usual rule of thumb is 20 minutes per 450g. Make sure you keep it topped up with extra water during cooking.

• step 2

  Remove the ham from the stock and then strain the liquid into a jug. Leave the stock to cool, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze it for 1 month - you can use it as stock for soups and risottos. Discard the vegetables and herbs in the sieve.

• step 3

  Allow the ham to cool and remove the skin, but not the fat. Score the fat into a criss-cross pattern to form diamonds all over.

• step 4

  Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6.

• step 5

  Mix together the sugar and mustards and use a pastry brush to evenly coat the ham all over. Transfer the ham to a roasting tin and roast it for 30 minutes, until the meat is cooked through, tender and nice and sticky on the outside. Leave to cool before slicing. It's delicious served with parsley sauce.