Ham with cider sauce

Ingredients

• 1kg/2¼libra ham (smoked or unsmoked), a smoked ham will need soaking in cold water overnight.
• 4 carrots, cut length ways
• 3 sticks celery, 4cm/1½in pieces
• 1 leek, 4cm/1½in pieces
• 2 onions, quartered
• 3 bay leaves and parsley stalks
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 200 ml/7fl ounces cider
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 30g/1 ounces beurre manie (12.5g butter and 12.5g flour)

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Preparation

• Place pre-soaked ham in a large lidded pot with carrots, celery, leek, onion, bayleaves and parsley stalks.
• Cover with enough fresh water and bring to the boil. When boiling turn down to a slow simmer with lid on and cook for 30-40 minutes.
• Prepare sauce. Finely chop onion and sweat in a little butter until soft, add cider and some of the stock from the ham to make up to approximately 500ml/16½fl oz.
• Bring to the boil and simmer, add small pieces of beurre manie to reach required consistency.
• Bubble for 2-3 minutes, remove from heat, add chopped parsley and seasoning to taste.
• Slice ham, pour over a sauce and serve with either baked potato or mashed potato and swede or green vegetables.