Nothing says Christmas like a beautifully glazed ham, and Aunty Dawn’s version is a family favourite of ours for a reason. Sweet honey, a touch of sherry, and a hint of mustard create the perfect caramelised glaze, while the cloves tucked into the scored fat add that festive aroma we all love. It’s simple to make, looks impressive on the table, and tastes even better than it smells. Perfect for sharing with family (and maybe sneaking a slice or two before everyone arrives).

If you are lucky enough to have any leftovers, be sure to slice it up and store them in the freezer for ready-to-go additions to lunches.

TIP: Ideally it would be best to source a nitrate-free leg ham. However, they can be very hard to source so your best bet is to call organic butchers or farmers in your area which you save you driving from shop to shop. You tend to need to order them in advance.

October 30, 2025

Ingredients

  • 1 leg ham
  • Whole cloves

Glaze

  • 1/2 c honey
  • 3 tsp. french mustard
  • 2 tbsp. dry sherry
  • 2 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
  • 1/4 c brown sugar

Instructions

Prepare the Ham

  1. Remove the rind from the ham using a sharp knife scoring just under the skin, leaving the fat layer on. If you go down to the flesh you've gone too far.
  2. Score the fat in a criss-cross pattern to create squares or diamonds.
  3. Insert a clove into the centre of each square.

Make the Glaze

  1. In a small bowl, combine honey, French mustard, dry sherry, soy sauce, and brown sugar until smooth and well combined.

Glaze and Bake

  1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (fan-forced).
  2. Place ham in a baking dish and brush half of the glaze evenly over the ham.
  3. Bake for 30 minutes.

Reglaze and Finish Cooking

  1. Remove ham from oven and brush with the remaining glaze.
  2. Return to oven and bake for a further 30 minutes, or until the glaze is caramelised and golden. Depending on how big the ham is, depends on how long to bake for. Generally it's approx 40minutes per 500g of ham.

Serve

  1. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
  2. Serve warm or cold and enjoy your festive ham!
  • Lots