Tuesday 4 January 2011

Truly Good Food & a Giveaway!

So although I've been busy preparing for Christmas with home-made preserves since October, I don't tire of Christmas when January comes. We still seem to have so many different cheeses and pickles, I won't take down the decorations until the 6th January and I'm not tiring of playing board games. This is of course probably my way of denying that it is going to be work as usual.

Here is one of the recipes that we and some friends enjoyed on New Years Day.
Spiced Gammon in Cider
This is delicious hot and scrumptious cold with the Spiced Christmas Pears


  • 2.25kg   unsmoked gammon
  • 2 onions quartered
  • Zest of one orange
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 8 whole cloves, plus extra for the outside of the gammon
  • 2 ltr dry cider
  • 3tbs dark muscovado sugar

  1. Place the gammon in a large pan (I prefer to do mine in the slow cooker as it makes the meat succulent) with all the ingredients, except for the sugar. Make sure the gammon is completely covered, add water if necessary.
  2. Bring to the boil over a high heat , then lower to a gentle simmer for 1 hour if in a pan, or if cooking in the slow cooker do so on the high setting for 3 to 4 hours. Then let the gammon sit in the pan for 30min.
  3. Remove from the pan and, before it cools too much, peel off the skin leaving the white fat on the meat. Using a sharp knife, mark the gammon's fat with a crisscross pattern.
  4. Preheat the oven to 200C, 400F, Gas 6. Place the gammon in a large roasting tin, lined with foil. Stir 1 tbsp of the gammon's cooking liquid into the muscovado sugar to make a thick paste and smother the paste evenly all over the gammon. Spike each diamond in  the crisscross pattern on the gammon with a clove.
  5. Put the spiced gammon in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 min.  Serve warm or cold.

So far most of my blog has been about food, my intention for 2011 is to be much more varied and rounded as a Truly Good Woman. 
Not only would I be missing out on so many things that a TGW is, the Hubba and I could be dangerously close to being found rolling to the shops in need of bigger clothes. 

So, as with many a New Year the Hubba and I have resolved to do more exercise, please see Truly Good Woman Reviews for an exercise book recommendation and GIVEAWAY!

Other resolutions include posting a weekly Bible study/reflection on here, being more punctual for work, going to bed earlier (eeek look the the time!) and making sure the Hubba and I find regular quality time together. 

Please comment about your New Year Resolutions to be in with a chance to win the 'Voight: precision training for body and mind'. 

Liz xxx



5 comments:

{Love, Love, Love} said...

Happy new year to you too my dear! Your ham looks lovely and it is funny that we both have this tradition. Thank you so much for my Christmas pressie, a super excuse to lie in the bath doing nothing but relax and read a mag. Hope you are all better now xxxx

Anna said...

Hi Liz, I've always wanted to cook a ham and this looks like a great recipe. May not be until next Christmas that I try it but I'm sure it will be delicious.

Jen + Martin said...

It was lovely! It looked like something out of a medieval banquet - amazing! The joint was huge so I guess you had gammon sandwiches for quite a while afterwards. Can't wait to try the next dish :-)

Liz said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Liz said...

Thank you to you too Devon Dumpling, I love Hotel Chocolate, yum, yum, yum!

Thanks Anna, a similar recipe is to cook the ham in cola - I haven't tried it yet, but it's probably quite tasty.

Thank you Jen! Yes, it went very nicely with pickles and cheese for several days after!
Looking forward to our pamper eve - it will be nice to spoil ourselves.

Liz x