Baked ham always goes down a treat on the day, and the leftovers are delicious in sandwiches, wraps or scones. This recipes will be a welcome addition to any school lunch box. We have been using Mileeven honey in the restaurant for a long time now. I visited them some years back in Owning, Co Kilkenny, where they have a great range of honey, look them up online.
These simple super seed scones get great texture from the seeds. I sometimes make them with wholemeal flour. Feta cheese has a firm, salty texture and is great in salads. St Tola in Co Clare make a firm feta-style cheese with 100% Irish goat’s milk, which I love.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Honey-glazed baked ham. \ Photography: Claire Jeanne Nash. Food styling: Janine Kennedy
Honey-glazed baked ham
Serves four to six
1 x 1.75kg gammon joint
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
12 black peppercorns
200ml freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp light brown sugar
freshly ground black pepper
1 Soak the gammon in cold water overnight to remove any excess saltiness, then rinse well and place in a large pan with a lid. Cover with fresh cold water. Add the onion, carrot, bay leaves and peppercorns. Slowly bring to the boil, then cover and simmer very gently for 1.5 hours, until just cooked through and tender, periodically skimming off and discarding any white froth that comes to the surface. Remove from the heat and leave in its liquid to cool for 30-40 minutes.2 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6).3 Remove the gammon joint from the cooking liquid and carefully cut away the rind and some of the excess fat. Cut the remaining fat in a lattice pattern and place the ham in a small roasting tin, then pour in the orange juice.4 Mix together the mustard, honey and sugar in a small bowl. Season generously with pepper, then smear all over the gammon joint. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until sticky and caramelised. Remove from the oven and leave to rest in a warm place for at least 20 minutes before carving. 5 Leave to cool completely and put on a plate, then cover well with cling film and keep in the fridge to use as required.Super seed scones served with cherry tomatoes, cucumber stick and feta chunks
Makes 12-16
450g self-raising flour, plus extra for rolling out and dredging
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp fine salt
400ml buttermilk (or use regular milk soured with lemon juice or red wine vinegar)
1 egg, beaten, or milk, to glaze
4 tbsp mixed seeds (pumpkin, sesame and sunflower)
To serve:
cherry tomatoes
cucumber sticks
feta cheese chunks
1 Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/gas mark 7). Lightly dust a large baking sheet with flour.2 Sieve the dry ingredients into a bowl. Make a well in the centre, then pour in all the buttermilk at once. Using your hand, with your fingers stiff and outstretched almost like a claw, stir in a full circular movement from the centre to the outside of the bowl. The aim is to handle the dough as little as possible and the end result should be a soft-ish dough; not too wet or sticky.3 Once the dough has come together, turn it out onto a floured surface and gently flatten with a rolling pin to about 2.5cm thickness (or you can just do this with your hands). Cut with a knife, stamp into dinner-shaped bread rolls or experiment with a 6cm x 7cm (2½-2¾in) rectangular or oval cutter.4 Transfer the scones to the baking sheet and brush the tops of each one with the beaten egg or milk. Sprinkle over the mixed seeds. 5 Bake for 12-15 minutes, until well risen and golden brown. If you’re in doubt, tap the bottom of a scone – it should sound hollow. Ideally they need to be eaten on the day that they’re cooked, but they will last well overnight if put into an airtight container. 6 Pack into lunchboxes with the cherry tomatoes, cucumber sticks and feta chunks in separate containers or arrange on plates to serve.
Baked ham always goes down a treat on the day, and the leftovers are delicious in sandwiches, wraps or scones. This recipes will be a welcome addition to any school lunch box. We have been using Mileeven honey in the restaurant for a long time now. I visited them some years back in Owning, Co Kilkenny, where they have a great range of honey, look them up online.
These simple super seed scones get great texture from the seeds. I sometimes make them with wholemeal flour. Feta cheese has a firm, salty texture and is great in salads. St Tola in Co Clare make a firm feta-style cheese with 100% Irish goat’s milk, which I love.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Honey-glazed baked ham. \ Photography: Claire Jeanne Nash. Food styling: Janine Kennedy
Honey-glazed baked ham
Serves four to six
1 x 1.75kg gammon joint
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
12 black peppercorns
200ml freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp light brown sugar
freshly ground black pepper
1 Soak the gammon in cold water overnight to remove any excess saltiness, then rinse well and place in a large pan with a lid. Cover with fresh cold water. Add the onion, carrot, bay leaves and peppercorns. Slowly bring to the boil, then cover and simmer very gently for 1.5 hours, until just cooked through and tender, periodically skimming off and discarding any white froth that comes to the surface. Remove from the heat and leave in its liquid to cool for 30-40 minutes.2 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6).3 Remove the gammon joint from the cooking liquid and carefully cut away the rind and some of the excess fat. Cut the remaining fat in a lattice pattern and place the ham in a small roasting tin, then pour in the orange juice.4 Mix together the mustard, honey and sugar in a small bowl. Season generously with pepper, then smear all over the gammon joint. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until sticky and caramelised. Remove from the oven and leave to rest in a warm place for at least 20 minutes before carving. 5 Leave to cool completely and put on a plate, then cover well with cling film and keep in the fridge to use as required.Super seed scones served with cherry tomatoes, cucumber stick and feta chunks
Makes 12-16
450g self-raising flour, plus extra for rolling out and dredging
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp fine salt
400ml buttermilk (or use regular milk soured with lemon juice or red wine vinegar)
1 egg, beaten, or milk, to glaze
4 tbsp mixed seeds (pumpkin, sesame and sunflower)
To serve:
cherry tomatoes
cucumber sticks
feta cheese chunks
1 Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/gas mark 7). Lightly dust a large baking sheet with flour.2 Sieve the dry ingredients into a bowl. Make a well in the centre, then pour in all the buttermilk at once. Using your hand, with your fingers stiff and outstretched almost like a claw, stir in a full circular movement from the centre to the outside of the bowl. The aim is to handle the dough as little as possible and the end result should be a soft-ish dough; not too wet or sticky.3 Once the dough has come together, turn it out onto a floured surface and gently flatten with a rolling pin to about 2.5cm thickness (or you can just do this with your hands). Cut with a knife, stamp into dinner-shaped bread rolls or experiment with a 6cm x 7cm (2½-2¾in) rectangular or oval cutter.4 Transfer the scones to the baking sheet and brush the tops of each one with the beaten egg or milk. Sprinkle over the mixed seeds. 5 Bake for 12-15 minutes, until well risen and golden brown. If you’re in doubt, tap the bottom of a scone – it should sound hollow. Ideally they need to be eaten on the day that they’re cooked, but they will last well overnight if put into an airtight container. 6 Pack into lunchboxes with the cherry tomatoes, cucumber sticks and feta chunks in separate containers or arrange on plates to serve.
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: