Tried and Tested: Recipes You’ll Love – Boiled Ham with Cabbage and Parsley Sauce

A Taste of St Patrick’s Day

St Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than with a hearty, traditional Irish meal? This month’s surprise recipe comes from our Restructuring Manager, James Bryan, who has Irish roots and has fond memories of St Patrick’s Day feasts with his family. According to James, “No St Patrick’s Day was complete without a steaming plate of boiled ham and cabbage, with plenty of parsley sauce on the side!”

St Patrick’s Day, celebrated on March 17th, honours Ireland’s patron saint and has become a global celebration of Irish culture. While parades, green attire, and a pint of Guinness are part of the fun, food remains at the heart of the tradition. Boiled ham with cabbage and parsley sauce is a staple Irish dish – simple, comforting, and steeped in history. Salted or cured pork was a practical choice for Irish families for centuries and pairing it with cabbage made for a hearty and affordable meal.

James recalls how his mother would have the ham bubbling away on the stove long before the parade started. “We’d come back from town, cold and windswept, and the smell of that ham would hit you as soon as you walked through the door,” he says. “It was always served with mountains of cabbage and the creamiest parsley sauce – no one left the table hungry!”

The Buchler Phillips team has been more than happy to ‘test’ this recipe (purely for quality control purposes, of course!). Let’s just say there were no leftovers, and a lively debate ensued over whether to add a dollop of mustard or not – James remains firmly in the ‘no mustard’ camp.

So, whether you have Irish roots or are just looking for a hearty meal to mark the occasion, this recipe (by Richard Corringan) is sure to bring a taste of Ireland to your table. Sláinte! 🍀

Richard Corrigan’s Boiled Ham with Cabbage and Parsley Sauce Recipe:

Prep 20 min
Cook 3-4 hr
Serves 4-6

1 ham on the bone, soaked in water overnight
300ml milk
1 handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
½ tbsp black peppercorns
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
25g butter
50g plain flour
1 tsp mustard
30ml double cream
2 garlic cloves, peeled, split and crushed
1 bunch thyme

For the cabbage:
1 whole cabbage
25g butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped

1. Rinse the ham and put it into a large pot. Cover with water, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat straight away. Simmer gently for three to four hours, until the meat is tender enough to pull out the bone.
2. Make the parsley sauce: in a small pan, boil the milk with the parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns and shallot. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
3. Melt the butter and mix with the flour gently for five minutes over a gentle heat. Add this to the milk, mix with the mustard and the double cream, and stir until smooth. Continue stirring for 10 minutes, until thick and not lumpy. Season and set aside again.
4. For the cabbage, melt the butter in the pan, add the onion and cook until softened but not coloured. Add a splash of water and the cabbage, cover and steam until slightly wilted. Remove from the heat, set aside until cool, then separate the leaves and shred.
5. To serve, lift the ham from its liquid, drain then slice finely. Serve on a bed of shredded cabbage with a dollop of parsley sauce.

Buchler Phillips is a UK based independent boutique firm with an impeccable Mayfair heritage, specialising in corporate recovery, turnaround, restructuring, insolvency.