Honey and mustard glazed ham: how much it costs to make, per portion
Honey and mustard glazed ham costs £1.67 a portion in ingredients (£26.72 for a batch of 16), from UK pack prices dated 25 October 2026. To reach 68% GP, the UK food benchmark, it needs to sell for at least £6.26 including 20% VAT (£5.22 without).
A Boxing Day and buffet centrepiece: a half cooked gammon ham glazed with honey, mustard and cloves and roasted until sticky. Sixteen portions of about 200 g, costed from JJ Foodservice and Morrisons prices read on 25 October 2026.
The lowest price is the one that just reaches 68% GP, the UK food GP benchmark (UKHospitality × Christie & Co, 2022: 65.9–69% food GP across every segment). It covers the ingredients at a normal margin, not staff, rent or energy, and most cafés, pubs and takeaways charge more for simple dishes. Check what places near you charge. GP is worked out on the ex-VAT price.
Open in ChefSums — edit, cost, scale →
Ingredients and cost, 16 portions
| Ingredient | Pack price | Pack size | Used | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooked gammon ham, half | £25.99 | 3300 g | 3300 g | £25.99 |
| Honey | £13.49 | 3170 g | 100 g | £0.43 |
| English mustard | £18.99 | 4540 ml | 40 ml | £0.17 |
| Granulated sugar | £15.79 | 10000 g | 50 g | £0.08 |
| Whole cloves | £1.00 | 50 g | 3 g | £0.06 |
| Batch total | £26.72 | |||
| Per portion (÷ 16) | £1.67 | |||
Cost per line is pack price × (amount used ÷ pack size), the same sum the tool runs. Change one pack price and every line that uses it moves.
What it really costs: waste and staff time
| Ingredients | £1.67 |
| Waste allowance, 5% (trim, ends, the odd one binned) | £0.08 |
| Staff time: 15 min hands-on for the batch of 16 at £12.71/hr + 25% on-cost | £0.25 |
| Food, waste and staff per portion | £2.00 |
At the lowest price (£5.22 ex VAT) that is 38% of the price, before rent, energy and everything else. Many UK sites aim to keep food plus staff (prime cost) at or under 60–65% of sales. The staff line counts hands-on prep only, not unattended cooking, and uses the April 2026 National Living Wage; put your own rate, minutes and waste in the calculator's real cost section or the prime cost calculator. Every dish side by side: the UK dish cost index.
Method
- Score the fat of the cooked ham in a diamond pattern and stud with cloves.
- Mix the honey, mustard and sugar and brush half over the ham.
- Roast at 190 °C for 30 minutes, basting with the rest of the glaze, until glossy and hot through.
- Rest 15 minutes, then carve into sixteen portions of about 200 g.
Where the prices came from
JJ Foodservice collection prices (single-unit price, no multi-buy tiers) and Morrisons shelf prices, read on 25 October 2026. Morrisons lines are used where JJ Foodservice listed no equivalent that day; wholesale is usually lower, so treat those lines as cautious. Prices are as listed; JJ does not label VAT on most lines, and most raw food is zero-rated in the UK while alcohol and some ingredients carry standard-rate VAT. Your supplier's price is the one that matters: open the recipe and type it in.
- Cooked gammon ham: Ambassador half plain 100% gammon ham, cooked (GAM001), 3.3 kg, £25.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Honey: Rowse honey (SPR042), 3.17 kg, £13.49 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- English mustard: Lion English mustard, 2 x 2.27 litres (SAU123), 4.54 litres, £18.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Granulated sugar: Tate & Lyle granulated sugar (SPI021), 10 kg, £15.79 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Whole cloves: Indus Whole Cloves (retail), 50 g, £1.00 shelf price — Morrisons (retail), accessed 2026-10-25
More costed dishes: seasonal
- Turkey and stuffing sandwich — £2.21 a serve
- Carrot and swede mash — £0.24 a portion
- Christmas turkey dinner — £3.93 a portion
- Roast turkey crown — £2.68 a portion