When it comes to holiday dinners, I am all about bold flavours and dishes that feel as special as the people around my table. That is why this Sticky Plum Glazed Festive Ham is a must-make. Juicy, tender, and coated in a rich, spiced plum glaze, it is the kind of centerpiece that makes guests go quiet for a moment—because they are too busy savoring every bite.
The secret to this incredible ham? Starting with the best. Grimm’s Fine Foods delivers on quality and flavour, crafting their hams with premium ingredients and traditional methods that shine through in every slice. Add the warm notes of cardamom, blood orange, and port wine from the homemade glaze, and you have a dish that tastes as good as it looks.
This ham is not just food—it is a moment. Whether you are carving it up for family or impressing a crowd, it is the kind of recipe people will ask for year after year. Trust me, it is that good.
This recipe was created in partnership with Grimm’s Fine Foods. Opinions in this post are my own.
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Ingredients
- Grimm’s Festive Ham, bone in
- Cardamom pods
- Blood orange(s)
- Plums
- Red onion
- Sprigs of thyme
Sticky Plum Glaze
- Plums
- Dark brown sugar
- Port wine
- Balsamic vinegar
- Minced ginger
- Blood orange juice
- Cardamom (remove seeds from pods and crush with a mortar & pestle)
See recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F
For the Ham
Lightly carve a crosshatch pattern across the top of the ham.
Place the ham on a rack in a roasting pan.
Add 12 slightly crushed cardamom pods, one blood orange sliced, a couple of sprigs of thyme and two cups of hot water into the roasting pan.
Cover tightly with tin foil and cook for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until the ham has reached an internal temperature of 130°F. Baste the ham with pan juices.
Make the Sticky Plum Glaze
While the ham is cooking, make the glaze.
Put the chopped plums into a 3-quart saucepan with the sugar, port, balsamic vinegar, ginger root, orange juice and crushed cardamom seeds. Place over a medium heat and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the plums have completely broken down to create a sticky jam consistency. Blitz with an immersion blender until smooth.
Glaze and Finish the Ham
Once the ham has reached 130°F remove the ham from the oven.
Raise the heat to 400°F.
Spread the halved plums and onion wedges around the roasting pan.
Brush the ham all over with a good layer of the spiced plum glaze. Roast for 25 minutes, adding another layer of glaze halfway through the cooking time. When the glaze has started to caramelise and the plums are soft, remove from the oven and leave to rest. ** watch the glazing process carefully and reduce the heat if the glaze begins to burn **
Carve and Serve
Slice and serve with the plums and extra plum sauce on the side.
Watch How This Festive Ham was Made
Leave a Comment
If you get the chance to try this Sticky Plum Glazed Festive Ham we’d love to hear how it turns out! If you try it, please leave us a review or tag us in your photos—your feedback means the world to us!
Sticky Plum Glazed Festive Ham
Ingredients
- 4 ½ kg 10 pound Grimm’s Festive Ham, bone in
- 10 cardamom pods pods lightly bashed
- 1 blood orange cut into 6 slices
- 6-8 plums halved (we used red plums)
- 1 red onion cut into wedges (leave the root intact to hold them together), optional
- 6 sprigs of thyme optional
Sticky Plum Glaze
- 6-8 plums chopped (we used a combination of red and black plums)
- 2 cups dark brown sugar loosely packed (a little less works too)
- ½ cup port wine
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoon freshly minced ginger
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice
- ½ teaspoon crushed cardamom remove seeds from pods and crush with a mortar & pestle
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
For the Ham
- Lightly carve a crosshatch pattern across the top of the ham.
- Place the ham on a rack in a roasting pan.
- Add 12 slightly crushed cardamom pods, one blood orange sliced, a couple of sprigs of thyme and two cups of hot water into the roasting pan.
- Cover tightly with tin foil and cook for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until the ham has reached an internal temperature of 130°F. Baste the ham with pan juices.
Make the Sticky Plum Glaze
- While the ham is cooking, make the glaze.
- Put the chopped plums into a 3-quart saucepan with the sugar, port, balsamic vinegar, ginger root, orange juice and crushed cardamom seeds. Place over a medium heat and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the plums have completely broken down to create a sticky jam consistency. Blitz with an immersion blender until smooth.
Glaze and Finish the Ham
- Once the ham has reached 130°F remove the ham from the oven.
- Raise the heat to 400°F.
- Spread the halved plums and onion wedges around the roasting pan.
- Brush the ham all over with a good layer of the spiced plum glaze. Roast for 25 minutes, adding another layer of glaze halfway through the cooking time. When the glaze has started to caramelise and the plums are soft, remove from the oven and leave to rest. ** watch the glazing process carefully and reduce the heat if the glaze begins to burn **
Carve and Serve
- Slice and serve with the plums and extra plum sauce on the side.
Leave a Review
- We’d love to hear how it turns out! If you try it, please leave us a review or tag us in your photos—your feedback means the world to us!
Love this combination of flavours for a really delicious ham!
Thanks Shanley,
We really enjoyed this festive combination of flavours and we look forward to making it again on the 25th!
Have a great day!
Elaine & James