Anthony Puharich tells us how to prepare the perfect Christmas Ham.

  1. Carefully peel the skin from the fat. Start with an incision from your knife under the rounded edge of the ham. Use your fingers and knife if necessary, to carefully tease the skin away,   working back towards the shank. Be careful not to tear the fat.
  2. Use a sharp knife to score around the shank, then detach the skin and reserve (use it to cover the leftover ham and prevent it from drying out).
  3. Score the fat evenly (being careful not to cut into the flesh) using a small sharp knife, maintaining an even depth all over: you can score in parallel lines or in a crosshatch pattern.
  4. If you plan to stud the ham with cloves, a crosshatch pattern is the best option. You can also stud the ham first, to help create a guide for your knife.

Looking for a recipe to cook your Christmas ham? Why not try Matt Moran’s baked Christmas ham recipe.