Recipe: Lavender Ham (From Dudley News)

Recipe: Lavender Ham

11:39am Friday 24th April 2009

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WHEN chef Oliver Peyton opened his eco-friendly restaurant Inn The Park in the heart of London’s St James’s Park five years ago, he yearned for a fully homegrown menu.

He didn’t think it was possible then, but is pleased to have been proved wrong.

He said: “Things have moved on so much. We can now cook sustainably for most of our menu.”

Peyton believes that we can all cook with locally produced food without having to rely on imports and said: “British cooking is about cooking the food that’s available. I have been filming abroad a lot recently and chefs from other countries all say that British meat is amazing. We shouldn’t underestimate that fact.”

Judging the best of Britain’s national cuisine in the fourth series of the Great British Menu – currently on BBC2 – has assured him that the UK has a bright gastronomic future.

Peyton said: “We don’t need France, Spain or America for inspiration. There is enough happening here.”

Although the book includes recipes for griddled pork chops and barbecued red bream, Peyton admits the course he loves most is dessert.

He said: “I’m a pudding person. And I think the thing that Britain does best is baking and pudding. I love Eton Mess, Bakewell and treacle tarts.”

He spent a year perfecting his version of the classic Victoria sponge.

He said: “It turned out that the key is to use organic clotted cream. I’ve got two bakeries and we spent 12 months trying to make the perfect cake. With the right ingredients, any skill you don’t have as a cook is hidden.”

RECIPE: Lavender Ham

Peyton says: Cooking ham with lavender and cider gives it a quaint English flavour, and the tanginess offsets the richness of the meat. A whole ham is comfort food that wouldn’t be right without the studding of cloves – it’s what we’ve come to expect when we see a large joint of ham, whatever the time of year or occasion. The criss-cross pattern is the way it should look, but don’t overdo it. Too many cloves would be gilding the lily.

Serves 8

Ingredients

2kg joint of boned and rolled smoked gammon, with skin
25g fresh lavender
1 litre dry cider

For the glaze:

3tbsp lavender or wildflower honey
3tbsp smooth mild mustard
100ml dry cider
Handful of cloves

Method

Place the gammon and lavender in a large saucepan. Pour in the cider and enough cold water to cover the gammon (about one litre water). Put the lid on the pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for about two and half hours or until the meat is tender when pierced with a skewer in the centre. Leave to cool in the liquid overnight.

The next day, set the oven at 220C. Remove the ham from the liquid and strip off the skin, leaving the fat intact. Place the ham in a roasting tin and crisscross the fat using a sharp knife.

Combine the honey, mustard and cider in a small pan and boil for about 10 minutes or until the glaze is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Spoon the glaze over the ham fat, then stud the fat lightly with cloves. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the glaze has caramelised all over.

Serve hot or cold.

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