First, make a basic curing mixture of salt and sugar.
Add a small handful of rosemary leaves, bashed up and bruised a little in a pestle and mortar, and three peeled and squashed cloves of garlic. Stir into the salt and sugar mix
Crush half a teaspoon of coriander seeds, a single clove and half a teaspoon of black peppercorns together in the pestle and mortar and stir into the salt and sugar mix.
Sprinkle the cure over a plump duck breasts in a non-reactive bowl. A plastic box is best, small enough to contain the duck breasts neatly. Put the box in the fridge and leave for three days.
The salt will work it’s magic, drawing out the duck’s moisture and gently drying it out. The cure will turn to a brine, and the meat will darken.
After three days, rinse the breasts under cold running water and pat dry on a tea towel before individually wrapping and tying them in muslin. Hang the duck in a cool, airy place for a week to dry – a dry cellar or a shed or garage would be ideal. The duck is cure when it has lost 30% of its weight before drying.
To serve, slice the ham at an angle, as thinly as possible.