A good quality ham can make your meal festive whatever the season. Here are my 5 top tips to get the most from your ham! For inspiration, I have linked to this post to a fantastic glazed ham recipe and a perfect Ham Lentil and vegetable soup recipe to try if you manage to have any leftovers!!!!

1. There is definitely an art form to cutting or carving a ham especially one with a bone in it. To carve, use a sharp thin long carving knife to cut slices of ham away from the bone, this will ensure you have even slices that are the full size of the ham. Follow the grain of the meat, laying the slices on a platter as you go and working around the bone. Turn ham over and repeat on the other side.
   

   Megan Rizzo Photography

2. To store a cooked ham pre and post-baking, wrap the ham in a calico cloth, or a clean piece of sheet that has been soaked in a vinegar solution of ¾cup of white vinegar with 1 ½ litres of water. This will keep the ham moist and stop it from drying out.
3. To serve ham warm on Christmas day, you can prepare it the day before. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to bake and glaze it.
4. Leftover ham on the bone can be covered in a vinegared cloth and then refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. If you are keeping it for that long, rinse out your cloth every 3 days with the prepared vinegar solution, to keep the ham moist.
5. You can keep leftover ham in the freezer for up to 6 weeks although it is perfect to add to soups, scrambled eggs, omelettes, sandwiches, salads, pasta, fried rice on pizzas and wherever else you want that delicious smoked flavour.

Check out my How to bake Glazed Ham video here.