For me, evocative memories of festive fun are revived each year when the Christmas tree spreads sharp, pungent pine essence throughout the house, mixing up with the delicate spices from the ham finishing off in my rotisserie oven. Cinnamon, citrus fruit, pineapple and allspice, plus the warmth of fresh ginger combine to get people in the mood for food.

Warming spices and peels are fantastic used as a marinade for your meat or poultry, with some well known delicate combinations that complement each other rather than overpowering your palate. They work on cooked or uncooked meat and are exquisite on ham joints. Cooked hams are a breeze to transform into a gourmet meal with that wonderful crusty crunchy sweet coating everyone adores - and quick to prepare with no marinade time involved.

You’ll need an evenly proportioned cooked ham joint, preferably boneless. Being well proportioned means it’ll reheat throughout at the same speed, bone-in can be awkward to fit onto the spit and they have a habit of falling off again, at least mine do.

Also helpful is an instant read cooking thermometer – you can do this on time alone, however I’d recommend using a cooking thermometer if you have one – and getting one if you don’t! If your joint is bone-in remember bone heats faster than the meat, so be careful to put the cooking thermometer in and check in two places, away from the bone is best. Don’t add salt, the ham is quite salty enough from curing.

Heavenly Holiday Ham – For a 5lb Joint. Feeds 6 Hungry People (plus morsels for the dog)

1 tbsp maple syrup or honey

1 tbsp lemon juice

Good pinch of ground cloves

Level teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Good pinch of either ground cinnamon or allspice

Half a cup of pureed pineapple, fresh if you can

Heaped teaspoon of chopped fresh ginger (puree with the pineapple)

Half a cup of sugar crystals - either raw or brown sugar is fine

1. Place the ham on the rotisserie spit and set on low-medium – remember you’re reheating, not cooking. Roast until the thermometer reads 150F or 66C when pushed in the thickest part of the joint, usually 12-15 minutes per pound so allow an hour and a quarter plus 10 minutes standing time.

2. While it heats, combine all the ingredients including one teaspoon of the raw sugar and mix until smooth. When the meat reaches temperature, stop the oven, open the door and coat the meat with marinade, then evenly sprinkle sugar over the whole lot.

3. Warning! Sugar burns at 265F or 130C so have the heat setting on low particularly if exposed to naked flames - if you don’t have an electric rotisserie then be extra vigilant and watch it like a hawk, we are looking for caramelized here, not charcoal! At this stage I’m inevitably joined by the dog, who also watches the succulent meat very carefully. We both start getting hungry!

4. Now, close the door, restart it and keep grilling until a gorgeous dark golden crust has formed, by now if you check the internal temperature, it will have reached 160F or 71C.

5. Turn the heat off, open the door and leave the meat where it is so the sugar crust hardens off as it cools, 10 minutes should do it, then remove without bashing the crust off and leave to stand in a warm place for another 5 minutes. Best not to cover it up at this point as the crust can soften.

And there you have it, home rotisserie finished Christmas ham to carve and serve hot – Beautiful with warm bread sauce. The only downside to this meal is leftovers – there won’t be any.