Name: Ginger Beer Baked Ham With Marmalade and Hot Honey Glaze
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 165 min
Total time: 170 min
Ingredients: 2 kilograms gammon joint; 1 litre ginger beer; 1 orange; 1 onion; 2 tablespoons marmalade; 2 tablespoons hot honey

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If you’re looking for a special baked ham recipe, this ginger beer baked ham with marmalade and hot honey glaze is a brilliant one to try!

If you’ve ever made cola ham, you’ll already understand why this works so well. The gammon joint is simmered slowly in ginger beer, which gives the salty ham a gentle sweetness and a little warming spice.

Once the ham is cooked, it’s glazed with a sticky mixture of marmalade and hot honey, then baked until golden and bubbling. The result is a beautifully juicy ham with a glossy glaze that’s sweet, spicy and just a little bit citrusy.

It’s perfect for Christmas, Easter, or any special dinner, but it’s also surprisingly easy to make.

Why You’ll Love This Ginger Beer Ham

There are lots of baked ham recipes out there, but this one has a few things going for it that make it particularly special.

First, the flavour combination is fantastic. Ginger beer adds a gentle warmth and sweetness while the marmalade and hot honey glaze brings citrusy brightness and a little bit of heat. It’s sweet, savoury, sticky and just a tiny bit spicy – exactly what you want from a glazed ham.
Second, it’s surprisingly easy to make. Most of the cooking time is completely hands-off. Once the ham is simmering away in the ginger beer, you can largely leave it alone until it’s ready for the oven.
It’s also a brilliant centrepiece for a dinner table. A glazed ham always feels a little bit celebratory, and the glossy marmalade glaze makes this one look particularly impressive when it comes out of the oven.
And finally, the leftovers are absolutely wonderful. Cold slices of this ham are perfect in sandwiches, tossed through pasta, or added to salads the next day.

In short: minimal effort, big flavour, and leftovers that keep on giving. Hard to argue with that!

close up of ham cooked in ginger beer with marmalade glaze

Ginger Beer Baked Ham vs Classic Baked Ham

If you’re deciding between this recipe and my classic baked ham, the good news is that both are absolutely delicious – they just have slightly different flavours.

My classic baked ham recipe is the more traditional option. The ham is simmered, glazed and baked to create a beautifully caramelised finish with simple, classic flavours.

This ginger beer baked ham is a little more adventurous. Simmering the gammon in ginger beer adds a gentle sweetness and warming spice, while the marmalade and hot honey glaze brings citrus and a little heat.

In short:

• Classic baked ham – traditional, simple and perfect for Christmas dinner
• Ginger beer baked ham – sweeter, spicier and a little more unusual

If you’re after a classic centrepiece for a roast dinner, you might prefer the traditional version. But if you fancy something a little different, this ginger beer baked ham is a brilliant choice.

You can find my classic baked ham recipe here.

ham with marmalade glaze on a white plate

The Ingredients

Gammon – gammon is just an uncooked ham, a cut of pork. The recipe is for a 2kg one, but you can adjust for the size of your ham by simply increasing or decreasing the amount of ginger beer. Get a good gammon joint from your local butchers for the best results.
Ginger beer – very important, DO NOT use diet ginger beer! You need all of the sugar in the ginger beer to cook with the ham. Diet ginger beer simply will not work.
Orange and onion – these are simmered in the ginger beer with the ham and add plenty of extra citrus and savoury flavour.
Marmalade – a smooth marmalade without bits is best for this, but you can use any you like.
Hot honey – use your favourite hot honey, or even make your own. The more spice, the better!

How to Cook Ginger Beer Baked Ham

Cooking this ham happens in two stages: first you gently simmer the gammon, then you glaze and bake it in the oven.

The simmering step is what keeps the ham beautifully tender. As the gammon cooks in the ginger beer, it absorbs flavour while the meat becomes soft and juicy. You don’t want the liquid boiling rapidly – just a gentle simmer is perfect.

Once the ham is cooked through, it’s time for the glaze. The marmalade and hot honey are brushed over the surface of the ham before it goes into a hot oven. This is where the magic happens.

In the oven, the glaze becomes sticky and caramelised while the outside of the ham turns beautifully golden. It only takes about 15 minutes, but that quick blast of heat transforms the ham from simply cooked to glossy, rich and irresistible.

When it comes out of the oven, let the ham rest for a few minutes before carving. This helps the juices settle and makes slicing easier.

Then simply carve into thick slices and serve. Whether it’s the star of a roast dinner or part of a buffet spread, it’s guaranteed to disappear quickly.

What to Serve With Baked Ham

A baked ham like this makes a wonderful centrepiece for a meal, and it pairs beautifully with simple, comforting side dishes.

For a classic roast-style dinner, I like to serve it with a few hearty sides that balance the sweet, sticky glaze.

Some of my favourites are:

Cauliflower cheese – creamy, cheesy and incredibly comforting. It works brilliantly with the sweet and savoury flavours of the ham.
Stir fried kale – a simple green vegetable is perfect alongside a rich glazed ham, and kale holds up particularly well.
Dauphinoise potatoes – thinly sliced potatoes baked in cream and garlic. Rich, indulgent and absolutely delicious with ham. This version includes leeks, too.

Add some crusty bread or roast potatoes and you’ve got a meal that feels a little bit special but is still very easy to pull together.

What to Do With Leftover Ham

One of the best things about cooking a big ham joint is the leftovers. A baked ham like this goes a long way, and the flavour only seems to get better the next day.

Once the ham has cooled, slice or dice any leftovers and store them in the fridge in an airtight container. It will keep well for several days and can be used in all sorts of easy dinners.

Some of my favourite ways to use leftover ham include:

Leftover ham pie – a wonderfully comforting pie packed with tender ham and a creamy filling. Perfect for using up generous chunks of ham.
Leek and ham pasta – a quick and cosy weeknight dinner where the salty ham pairs beautifully with sweet leeks and a creamy sauce.
Turkey and ham lasagne – a brilliant way to turn leftover roast meat into something completely different. Layers of pasta, sauce and ham make this incredibly satisfying.

Leftover ham is also fantastic in omelettes, sandwiches, salads and fried rice, so don’t be afraid to get creative. Once you’ve cooked a big ham joint like this, you’ve got the beginnings of several more meals already sorted.