Baked cider ham fillet with sticky mustard glaze

This is the first time I've ever dealt with a whole chunk of ham. I'm not a lover of any pork products and it's really in the last few months that I started using them in my cooking. This baked cider ham requires a bit of effort, mostly preparation time. Before cooking, I soaked the entire fillet in cold water in a large stockpot for 24 hours, changing water every 4 hours the first two times and then every 8 hours. Then the ham sat in a bath of cider, thyme, shallots, bay leaves, and peppercorns for another 24 hours before baking. The result was delicious, well worth all the prep work! 

Baked cider ham with sticky mustard glaze

Ingredients

for 6-8 servings

1 (1.3g) ham fillet, soaked in cold water for 24 hours
1 L dry cider (I used alcohol-free pear cider)
10 whole peppercorns
3 bay leaves
2 shallots
sprigs of thyme
175g demerara sugar
3 tablespoons mustard or mustard powder
40 (or more) whole cloves, for studding the ham

Method

1. Place ham in a large stockpot and cover with cider (top up with cold water to cover completely). Add peppercorns and bay leaves. Leave in the fridge (or any cold place) to soak overnight.
   
2. Add in shallots and thyme springs to the stock pot. Heat over medium high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes per 450g (1lb) + 20 minutes. (I simmered mine for approx. 2 hours.) Remove from heat.
   
3. Remove the ham from the stockpot and drain. Let cool a little. 
   
4. Preheat oven to 180°C. In a small bowl, mix together the mustard and sugar.
5. Carefully peel off the skin and score diamond shapes into the fat with a sharp knife. Take care not to cut into the meat.
6. Stand the ham in a foil-lined roasting tin with some stock covering the bottom of the tin (the cider stock from boiling the ham). 
7. Spread the mustard sugar mixture over the fat on the ham. Press a clove (or as many as you like) into the corner of each diamond shape.
   
8. Roast the ham in the oven for 30 minutes, fat side up, until the fat is crisp.
9. Turn the oven up to 200°C and bake for another 15 minutes to let the fat go brown and crispy.
10. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for at least 15 minutes before carving.
    

I served with the ham with roasted cauliflower and baby potatoes with parmesan and blanched French beans with hazelnuts.