HAM IN HAY
The cooking of ham in hay imbues it with the most wonderful and unusual flavor, while insulating the meat from any fierce heat so that it cooks in the ideal gentle fashion, resulting in the most giving of flesh. It also fills your home with rustic, pastoral smells. To obtain your hay ask a friendly farmer if one is to hand or just ask around—this can have surprisingly productive results. If all else fails a reliable pet shop is a good source. You will need a pot large enough to fit a leg of bacon!
Servings
12
Servings
12
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a big pot make a base of hay, sprinkle on your spices and bay leaves, and lay the ham in your hay nest. Cover with more hay around and on top. Cover with water. Bring to the boil then straight away turn down to the gentlest simmer. Put a lid on and cook either in the oven or on top, making sure that it is not boiling too fast. Cook until tender all the way through, check by probing with a thin sharp knife; it will take 3½–4½ hours. The hay is sadly not edible.
  2. Serve with swede mash (if possible made with goose or duck fat). The pink ham and the orange swede look like a sunset on a plate.