COOKING WITH CATHERINE: APRIL

This month, we thought instead of the ubiquitous roast lamb for Easter lunch we’d bring you a truly gorgeous recipe of Marmalade and Miso Glazed Ham. A deliciously sticky glazed joint of ham is a thing of beauty and deserves to make an appearance not just at Christmas but throughout the year!

Firstly, one thing that’s maybe worth clearing up, as I’m just about to start enthusing about baked ham, is something that so many people ask – “What’s the difference between gammon and ham?” Well, gammon is the raw cut of meat from the hind leg which is then brined or cured – and once it’s cooked it becomes ham! I always soak the gammon in a pot of cold water in the fridge overnight so that excess salt is drawn out. If you don’t have time, or room in the fridge, place the gammon in the pan with cold water, bring to the boil and then discard the water. Top up again and follow our recipe on page 78.

And I can’t help it – I’m a Northerner – but I just couldn’t imagine throwing that flavour-packed cooking stock away! It’s perfect for making pea and ham soup. Simply sauté a chopped onion until perfectly tender, add a large, diced potato and a litre of ham stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in 500g frozen peas, cook until tender and blend. Add shredded ham, pepper and a splash of cream if you fancy – heaven!

SPOTLIGHT ON… DIVINE CHOCOLATE

Divine Chocolate is the only chocolate company that is co-owned by cocoa farmers. The cooperative of farmers in Ghana also co-owns the business and is guaranteed Fairtrade prices and premiums for all its produce – so even more reason to indulge in one of Divine’s new-look chocolate bars! For real flavour we used their rich, robust 70% Dark Chocolate for our Dark Chocolate and Ginger Cake. Available in different flavours (Dark Chocolate with Hazelnut Truffle is a personal fave), and new to their range is a luxury hot chocolate collection.

Head to divinechocolate.com for information.

OFF THE SHELF

Tracklements have done it again with their new limited-edition Sweet Carrot & Pink Peppercorn Relish! The recipe is a twist on a traditional Bengal pickle, made with sweet, crunchy carrots, Bramley apples, garlic, ginger, spices and pink peppercorns. Great served alongside your favourite curry with yoghurt, naan, or poppadoms. It’s also amazing with cheeses, or with grilled chicken or steak.

£3.95 for 200g jar from tracklements.co.uk

La Vieja Fábrica Seville Orange Marmalade is without doubt the best you can buy and to my mind as near to a top-notch homemade marmalade as you could get. Available in thick cut, fine cut and no peel, the slow-cook, high-fruit-content marmalades, which are made and packaged in Seville, are just divine. I used the no peel in the sticky glaze for this month’s ham recipe.

£2.50 for a 365g jar from Morrisons, Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado or Booths

NEW KITCHEN-MUST HAVES

The classic British kitchenware brand Mason Cash has just launched a new Home to Roost collection of cookware. The modern folk-inspired design is gorgeous and guarantees to bring a bit of country charm to any kitchen. Long lasting (I still have my Nan’s mixing bowl!), dishwasher and freezer safe, these iconic mixing bowls come in a range of sizes and colours.

Available from Amazon