Christmas Gammon Made Easy

While all focus might be on the Christmas Turkey, succulent Suffolk gammon can be the real star of your Christmas feasts. Not only is gammon delicious hot or cold, making it perfect for three days of feasting, it is super easy to prepare, and great value for money. Below we give our tips on which gammon to choose, what size to go for, and how to prepare and cook.

Cooked Ham, Raw Gammon, or Smoked Raw Gammon?

At Andrew’s we recommend placing an order for your gammon to make sure you get the right size and type that you desire.

If you’re looking to do as little preparation as possible, ordering a cooked ham is a great choice. We cook all of our Suffolk gammons on site and make sure the meat remains moist and succulent. We then cut and vacuum pac all ordered ham joints to make sure they remain fresh until opened.

For many of our customers, cooking a raw gammon is all part of the Christmas fun. It is also a lot more economical. Our raw suffolk gammons come plain or smoked, and are mildly cured so do not need to be rinsed before cooking. Ordering a raw gammon, smoked or plain, is also the only way to infuse with lots of gorgeous wintery flavours and to glaze as is Christmas tradition.

Which size should I order?

If you are ordering a cooked ham, it is likely that the joint is to be eaten cold as part of a selection of meats. In this case we would recommend perhaps 125g per person. In this case a 1kg joint would serve approx. 8 people. You might choose bigger if you’re looking for it to last over several days.

For raw gammon joints, we would recommend allowing 200g per person. A 1KG joint would serve approx. 5 people while a 5kg joint will serve approx 25 people.

How do I prepare and cook a raw gammon?

-Place your raw gammon joint in a big saucepan and cover with cooking liquid of choice: either water or a delicious apple cider. Add bay leaves and herbs for extra flavour.

-Bring to the boil and then cook at a simmer for 20 minutes per 500g (1h20m for 2kg).

-For extra Christmas pizazz, you can add a yummy glaze after boiling. Once the glaze is brushed on, cook in an oven at 190C for 30 minutes. For a variety of different glazes that can be used click here.