Celebrate the festive season with a gorgeous ham. These tips, hacks and recipes will ensure your centrepiece showstopper will be just perfect every time. From how to buy, prepare and cook your ham, to gorgeous glazes, with plenty of inspiration of what to do with any leftovers.

In the US, gammon is also known as country ham. The ham comes from the hind leg of pork which is then cured by dry-salting or brining. You can buy it either smoked or unsmoked, which is entirely a matter of personal taste. 

As with all meat, a ham with the bone left in will have more flavour than with the bone out. If you are boiling the ham, it will also add more flavour to the stock. However, the bone makes it tricky to carve neatly. As long as you cook the ham correctly, opt for a boned joint, especially if your carving skills aren't that great!

Most hams these days aren't as salty as they used to be but check with your butcher or on the packet. Rather than soaking it for 24 hours in cold water before cooking (if you need to, a plastic bucket will do), put it into a large pan of cold water, bring it to the boil, spoon off any scum which has risen to the top, then take out the ham and discard the water. This will get rid of any excess salt. Before cooking, make a note of the weight of the ham so that you can calculate the cooking time.

If you want to bake a ham, take some wide foil and put a piece twice the size of your roasting tin lengthways, and another one widthways. Put the ham in the centre then wrap the foil tightly so that it makes a tent, which allows the air to circulate inside. Bake it at 160°C (325°F), for 20 minutes per 450g (1lb). You could add some cloves or herbs, too, to add a little extra flavour. Once it's baked, even if you like to serve it hot or warm, give it 30 minutes' resting time.

If you prefer to cook your ham in water, you will have the bonus of a lovely stock to use for soup. Just like if you bake your ham, calculate the cooking time at 20 minutes per 450g (1lb).

If you prefer to boil your ham, cooking it in dry cider or apple juice adds more flavour. You'll need enough to completely cover the ham. Add a peeled and halved onion and a handful of black peppercorns, it'll complement the cider or apple perfectly.

Try cooking your ham in beer, instead of water. A craft beer, for example, will add hoppy notes to the ham. Add chunks of peeled carrot, a peeled and halved onion and some black peppercorns.

Most recipes just add an onion to the cooking water, but if you want to use the stock for soup, it's worth adding a few extras for flavour. Add chopped onion, leek, carrot, black peppercorns, bay leaves and a small bunch of parsley tied with cook's string. Then just strain before using. You can also freeze it, to use later.

When you insert a knife into the ham it should show little resistance. If it still feels a little tough, cook for a further 15 minutes then check again. Alternatively, if you have a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should read 63°C (145°F). Remember to calculate the cooking time first. 

Once your ham is cooked through, the next step is glazing. The most important point to remember here is that you have to remove the skin of the ham while it's still hot. If it's cold, you'll take off all the fat which you need to keep. The way to do this without burning your hands is to wear rubber gloves. Make a couple of horizontal incisions and you should be able to peel it off in strips. You can glaze it at a later stage – it will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Once you've removed the skin, you need to score the fat. Make criss-cross cuts so that you create a diamond pattern. You can then insert a whole clove into the centre of each diamond. Again, you can do this ahead of time. If you prefer to serve it cold, you can glaze and roast it, allow to cool thoroughly then store in the fridge until you need it. A cooked ham will be fine stored, covered, in the fridge for three days.

If you have the time, it's so worth cooking a ham really slowly for the ultimate in super-tender meat. Prepare it as you would for a baked ham, making a tent of foil. Then bake it in the oven for 15 hours at 100°C (200°F). Then just glaze normally. The meat will melt in your mouth.

Once the ham has been studded, you are ready to glaze it. The oven needs to be very hot – 220°C (425°F). Mix together your glaze, then brush it over the fat. The ham will take around 30 minutes in the oven, until it's browned. Try mixing 185g (6oz) brown sugar with 125ml (4fl oz) pineapple juice with 1tbsp dried chilli flakes. Keep brushing it on every 10 minutes or so.

For a glaze which is both sweet and hot, mix together 250g (9oz) apricot jelly with the same quantity of brown sugar and 125g (4oz) Dijon mustard. Again, keep brushing it on during cooking. You could also replace the apricot jelly with marmalade. When baking the glazed ham, double line your roasting tin with oiled foil to minimise the washing up.

For a really sweet, hot and sticky glaze, try not studding the ham with cloves, but mix together 4tbsp black treacle, 4tbsp dark muscovado sugar with 1tbsp hot mustard, such as English mustard. Brush over the ham and leave it to caramelise in the oven.

This is one of the simplest glazes to prepare with just two ingredients, but the contrast of hot and sweet works so well. It's best to use a fiery mustard, such as English mustard. Spread around 2tbsp hot mustard over the ham fat, then, using your hands, press 2tbsp demerara sugar into the mustard and bake in a hot oven.

For a glaze with a bit of a difference, try Madeira and sherry vinegar combined with sugar and honey. This recipe serves four, but you can just double up the amount of glaze to serve more, or if you – quite rightly – want some leftovers.

Get the recipe for honey-glazed ham here

Here's a recipe with a difference, served with fruity lentils on the side. You use the juice from cooking the blueberries to add to the ham stock while cooking and to glaze the ham, combined with honey and mustard. 

Get the recipe for blueberry and cardamom-glazed ham here

That lovely stock you have left from cooking your ham makes a lovely, thick, winter-warming soup. For 2 litres of stock, you'll need 350g (12oz) dried green split peas. Cook the peas for about 30 mins, then in a separate pan, sweat off an onion, celery stick and a carrot in butter. Add this to the split peas, and simmer for a further 40 minutes. Whiz up, add shredded or chopped leftover ham and heat to serve. 

Get the recipe for a speedy version of pea and ham soup here

Use any leftover ham in a tasty pasta dish with toasted walnuts and peas. Defrost some frozen peas. Simply cook the pasta, such as fusilli, adding the peas a few minutes before it's ready. Cut the ham into small pieces and toast walnut halves. Toss the pasta in pesto with a little extra olive oil, then add the ham, peas and walnuts. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 

Or try this super-fast recipe for ham and egg linguine

Grated potato combined with cream, cheese, ham and apple makes a perfect brunch dish and a lovely way to use leftover ham. A little hint of mustard, then it's held together with egg yolk. Ready in around 30 minutes, it's a real crowd-pleaser. You could top it with a poached or fried egg, too. 

Get the recipe for potato, ham and apple rosti here

Ham with melted cheese is one of food's greatest, and most comforting, combinations. In this recipe, the ham and cheese are laced with tomato sauce, then cooked in buttery puff pastry. It's such an easy idea to make, and a worthy recipient of your leftover ham. Be indulgent and serve it for brunch, or for lunch with a green salad.

Get the recipe for Italian ham and cheese pie here

The ultimate recipe for using up just about everything in your fridge post-holiday! Of course, you can substitute the turkey for chicken, but the ham is crucial to add maximum flavour. The crust is simply breadcrumbs mixed with cranberries and chestnuts, topped with butter to give that wonderful crunch. 

Get the recipe for turkey and ham casserole here

A great use-up for your Christmas ham is to make these canapés, perfect for family get-togethers. No need to make your own pastry, and you can use any cheese, whether blue or a strongly-flavoured hard cheese. Best of all, you can make these the day before, then just re-heat to serve.

Get the recipe for ham and Stilton tartlets here

Encased in buttery puff pastry, ham, apple slices and cheese are layered up in a creamy béchamel sauce. It takes just 20 minutes to prepare and is perfect served with a crunchy green salad. 

Get the recipe for ham and apple pie here

That's your ham sorted, but what about the turkey? See our Turkey timeline to help you make the perfect roast