Ingredients:

• 4-5kg KR Castlemaine Premium Ham Cooked on the Bone (1/2 leg)
• About 20 cloves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 x 355ml bottle apple cider
• 2 cup (500ml) chicken stock
• 12 eschalots, peeled
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 3 large pink lady apples, cored and cut into thick wedges
• 4 small trimmed fennel bulbs, quartered
• 1 x 700g jar morello cherries in syrup
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup port
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Finely grated rind and juice of 1 orange
• 3 teaspoons of arrowroot
• 1 tablespoon water
• Cracked black pepper
• Extra thyme leaves or microherbs to garnish

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 150°C
2. Run thumb underneath rind of ham to separate from fat. Peel and remove rind. Using a sharp knife, score fat in a diamond pattern.
3. Press a clove into the centre of each diamond.
4. Heat oil in a large, heavy-based baking pan over medium-high heat. Add ham, scored side down and cook for 2 minutes until lightly caramelized. Remove from heat and turn ham so that the scored side is up.
5. Pour over cider and stock. Add eschalots, garlic and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for 1½ hours, basting with cider mixture every 20 minutes.
6. In the meantime prepare the cherry jam. In a medium saucepan, combine cherries, cherry syrup, brown sugar, port, cinnamon stick, orange rind and juice. Simmer over a low heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Stir arrowroot with 1 tablespoon of water until smooth. Add to cherry sauce, stirring constantly over heat for about 1 minute until sauce is lightly thickened. Season to taste with black pepper. Set sauce aside until required.
7. Remove ham from oven, remove foil and add apple and fennel to the cider liquid. Return to oven and continue to bake for ½ hour or until apple and fennel are tender and caramelized. NB Protect ham with foil once it is golden brown.
8. Transfer ham to a serving platter. Garnish with cooked eschalots, fennel and apples. Sprinkle with extra thyme or microherbs. Serve with warm Cherry and Port jam and mashed potatoes.