Sticky Thyme Honey–Glazed Christmas Ham (Gammon): The Festive Centrepiece Where the Honey Makes the Glaze

There is a moment at every festive table when the ham comes out — lacquered, glossy, studded with cloves — and the room goes quiet. That moment lives or dies by the glaze, and the glaze lives or dies by the honey. Swap the usual squeezy supermarket honey for real Greek thyme honey and the difference is immediate: instead of a flat, one-note sweetness you get a deep, herby, almost resinous warmth that clings to the scored fat and caramelises into a sticky, burnished crust. Our Thyme Honey from Greece is the single upgrade that turns a perfectly nice Christmas ham into the one everyone remembers.

This is a gammon joint gently simmered until tender, then roasted under a thyme honey, orange and clove glaze until it shines. It looks like a showstopper but most of the time is hands-off, and it feeds a crowd with leftovers to spare. Ready to build your centrepiece? Secure a jar of Jegit thyme honey here and let’s get started.

Why the honey is the whole dish

A glaze is mostly honey, which means the honey is not a background detail — it is the flavour. Most jars on the supermarket shelf are blended from several countries, gently heat-treated and filtered until they taste of little more than sugar syrup. Brush that onto your ham and you get sweetness, but no character. This is exactly where a proper Greek thyme honey earns its place: the difference between a good ham and an unforgettable one is in the honey.

Jegit’s thyme honey is hand-harvested from wild, sun-baked thyme fields and cold-extracted without heat, so its natural enzymes and that unmistakable Mediterranean aroma survive intact. It is pure, unadulterated and unfiltered — nothing blended in, nothing stripped out. On the ham, that translates into a glaze with real backbone: floral and herbaceous up front, deeply savoury-sweet as it caramelises. One spoonful and you will taste why it is worth it. Try Jegit Thyme Honey in your glaze here.

Ingredients (serves 8–10)

For the ham:

• 1 unsmoked gammon joint, about 2.5–3 kg
• 1 onion, halved
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon stick (optional)

For the thyme honey glaze:

• 6 tbsp Jegit Thyme Honey from Greece
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• 1 tbsp Jegit extra virgin olive oil from the Peloponnese
• 1 tbsp wholegrain or Dijon mustard
• A pinch of ground cloves (plus 20–30 whole cloves for studding)
• A few fresh thyme sprigs

Two ingredients carry this dish: the thyme honey in the glaze and a good extra virgin olive oil to loosen it and roast your trimmings. Both are in stock and ready to ship — add the honey to your basket now so it is on the shelf when the festive cooking starts.

Method, step by step

1. Simmer the gammon. Put the joint in a large pot with the onion, carrots, bay, peppercorns and cinnamon. Cover with cold water, bring to a gentle boil, then lower to a bare simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes per 500 g (roughly 1 hour 40 minutes for a 2.5 kg joint). Top up with boiling water if needed so the ham stays covered.
2. Heat the oven. Preheat to 200°C (180°C fan). Line a roasting tin with foil for easy cleaning.
3. Score and stud. Lift the ham out and let it cool just enough to handle. Snip off the skin, leaving a good even layer of fat. Score the fat into a diamond pattern with a sharp knife, then press a whole clove into the centre of each diamond.
4. Make the glaze. Warm the thyme honey, orange zest and juice, olive oil, mustard and ground cloves in a small pan for a minute until loose and glossy — do not boil it, you want to keep that fresh honey aroma.
5. Glaze and roast. Sit the ham in the tin and brush generously with half the glaze. Roast for 15 minutes, then brush with the rest and roast for another 20–30 minutes, basting once or twice, until deeply golden and sticky. Tuck in the thyme sprigs for the last 10 minutes.
6. Rest, then carve. Rest for at least 15 minutes before carving — this is non-negotiable if you want juicy slices. Spoon over any glaze from the tin.

That caramelised, clove-studded crust is pure thyme honey doing its work. If your jar is running low, restock your Jegit thyme honey here before the festive rush.

Tips, swaps and leftovers

Serve it warm as the centrepiece, or cold the next day — thyme honey glaze is arguably even better once the flavours have settled. For crisp roast potatoes alongside, toss parboiled potatoes in Jegit extra virgin olive oil, which stays stable at roasting heat and adds a peppery, buttery note of its own. Prefer things less sweet? Add an extra teaspoon of mustard. Want more festive warmth? A pinch of cinnamon or a splash of orange liqueur in the glaze works beautifully. Leftovers make exceptional sandwiches with a little mustard and more honey, or diced into a midweek pasta.

A quick word on the olive oil, because it matters here too: Jegit’s is hand-harvested on the Peloponnese, naturally cloudy and unfiltered, lab-tested for low acidity and rich in polyphenols, and heat-stable up to 180°C — exactly what you want for the roasties. Pick up a bottle here.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a smoked gammon instead of unsmoked?

Yes. Smoked gammon gives a bolder, bacon-like depth that pairs very well with the floral thyme honey; unsmoked lets the honey and orange shine more clearly. Either works — choose the flavour you prefer.

Why thyme honey rather than ordinary honey?

Ordinary blended honey mostly adds sugar. A pure, unfiltered thyme honey adds aroma and complexity — herby, floral, savoury-sweet notes that caramelise into a far more interesting crust. Because the glaze is mostly honey, the quality of the honey is what you taste most.

Can I prepare the ham ahead?

Absolutely. Simmer the gammon a day ahead and keep it chilled. On the day, score, glaze and roast — it takes under an hour of oven time, which frees up your hob for everything else.

A festive ham is one of those dishes where a single ingredient decides the outcome, and here that ingredient is the honey. Give it the real thing and the glaze rewards you with that glossy, sticky, herb-scented crust everyone fights over. Order your Jegit Thyme Honey from Greece today, bring it to the table, and taste the difference — Pour La Vie.