Christmas Spiced Beef

This is a Buckinghamshire recipe. The meat must marinate for about 12 days before it is cooked. It is an unusual recipe because the spiced and salted beef is not boiled, but roasted. It requires plenty of basting. The meat has a subtle flavour and is extremely tender but crisp outside. It should be served with cranberry sauce or red-currant jelly and accompanied by candied potatoes, brussels sprouts with chestnuts and a good brown gravy. The dish was often served on one of the later 12 days