I love my absolute angel of a mum for many reasons – her ‘no fuss, no thrills’ approach to cooking being just one of them.
You can believe me when I say that our Nat does not mess around in that kitchen. She does the job with efficiency: cleaning up as she goes along, making sure she has everything (which is most likely from the local shop) on the counter ready to go and Classic FM blasting out the orchestra charts on volume 7. She may even have a sherry if she’s feeling nasty.
This peach gammon is surprisingly good considering the effort that goes in to it: Get the gammon, put it in foil, pour on a tin of peach slices, cook it, let it rest, devour. THAT IS LITERALLY IT. But it really works! We like it with mustardy mash and buttery veg because my Dad is a classic meat and two veg kinda guy, and who are we to feed him quinoa and kale and alfafa sprouts? But also, what would you choose: peachy, salty delights and mustardy mash…. or a selection of seeds?
I thought so.
So, here’s our joint effort recipe! Enjoy!
- For the gammon:
- 1 unsmoked gammon joint
- 1 tin peaches in juice
- For the mash:
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1kg potatoes
- 1½ tsp wholegrain mustard
- 1 tbsp butter
- splash of milk
- salt and pepper
- 3 tbsp chopped chives
- To serve:
- Carrots and green beans (or whatever you have in), steamed
- First, prepare the gammon by placing it in a foil parcel, pouring on the peaches (juices and all) and wrapping loosely in the foil. Place in the oven to cook for as long as it says on the packaging - as it will depend on the size of the joint. Let it rest for 20 minutes before serving.
- Make the mash by peeling, chopping and boiling the potatoes. Fry off the onion in a separate pan until soft. Add in the mustard, chives, seasoning, butter, cooked onion and a little milk before mashing till nice and smooth. Put in a baking dish and keep warm, or if you want extra fanciness you can put it under the grill to crisp up. So worth it!
- Steam the veg and fry them off in a little butter and seasoning for a caramelised taste, or serve as they are with, YOU GUESSED IT, butter and seasoning!
- Slice up the gammon, serve with the mash and veg and enjoy.

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