Festive Spiced Ham, Cheese and Leftovers for Twelfth Night – The ham that keeps on giving! Recipes and ideas for a fabulous spiced ham from Booths Supermarkets, for Twelfth Night and beyond; as well as a fabulous Northern cheese board on review, this recipe for Festive Maple Syrup Spiced Ham is the best I’ve tried.

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Booths Supermarkets

Happy New Year to all my readers! I have been very busy in the test kitchen with commissioned work, as well as unpacking and sorting out our new home, and of course, writing and enjoying the festive period. Today, January the 5th, is Twelfth Night, and the day that I take down all my Christmas decorations and the Christmas tree, although we didn’t have many decorations up this year midst the upheaval of packing boxes; it’s the traditional end of the Christmas festive season, and one of the saddest days for me, as I love Christmas with all the food, family gatherings and the age-old customs and traditions that surround this period. However, it need not be that sad and depressing if we celebrate this feast day in the old-fashioned way, as in a PARTY! And what better way to party then to eat! Today’s post is all about a very special HAM, and associated recipes that will be perfect or Twelfth Night, Epiphany or Burns Night, as well as Easter. Working with my favourite independent supermarket, Booths, I am sharing several recipes and serving ideas, including a recipe for their very Festive Maple Syrup Spiced Ham.

I was sent a veritable treasure trove of culinary goodies from Booths just before Christmas, that comprised a large dry cured gammon joint with all the associated spicing and glazing ingredients, a fresh cream cake made with clementines and cranberries, a selection of festive sides, a bottle of sparkling English wine and an amazing five piece cheese board. The ham, or gammon, was an impressive 4 kilos in weight and was the star of the festive table…….and, I still have several bags of sliced ham in the freezer for New Year suppers, sandwiches and salads. Today, for Twelfth Night, we will be enjoying some of the sliced spiced ham with Pommes Dauphinoise and Sprouts with Smoked Lardons and Herb Butter; and, tomorrow, I have made a delicious root vegetable soup with more of the ham, which will be served with crusty bread or dumplings. Since I cooked my ham just before Christmas, we have enjoyed it with salad, as part of a festive buffet, in sandwiches with a smear of mustard, in a pie and also in a bowl of lentil soup……for New Year’s Day, so as you can see, it really is the ham that just keeps on giving.

And don’t forget the ancient custom of Wassailing too, I have a recipe for a Traditional English Wassail which would be perfect with some of this festive spiced ham tonight! However sad it may be to pack away the sparkle and tinsel, Twelfth Night should always been a day of merriment and fun, where tricks and charades are played and the last vestiges of all the rich festive food are enjoyed; and indeed we always indulge in any cake, chocolates or other treats that are still around, in an attempt the soften the “taking down the decorations” blow……so, I have shared my very favourite Twelfth Night recipes below, as well as the recipe from Booths for their very delicious Festive Maple Syrup Spiced Ham. I’ll be back soon with more recipes and traveller’s tales, as well as my annual “Patchwork Quilt” of last years recipes and posts. Happy New Year once again, and DO have a have a “jolly old time” this Twelfth Night and I hope that the New Year will be kind to all of you! Karen 

Must Have Cheese Board:

Booths Northern Five Piece Cheese Selection

Appleby’s Cheshire, Wensleydale Blue, Garstang White, Ribblesdale Gold Goat Gouda, Wensleydale with cranberry.

Twelfth Night Recipes:

Booths Festive Maple Syrup Spiced Ham

Booths Turkey, Leek and Ham Leftovers Pot Pie

Booths Crusty Ham & Potato Hash

Traditional English Wassail

Mincemeat Soda Bread

Curried Beef & Apricot Pie with a Salt Glaze Crust

Victorian Epiphany Tart

Rosca de Reyes

Our New Home in Photos…..Outside in Winter:

WASSAIL!

CHEESE!