As the festive shelves fill with Christmas hams, how do you know which one to pick? Here's our guide to the different types and what to look for in the perfect ham.

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Which type of ham is right for you?

1. Champagne Ham

Champagne hams have had the bones removed and have only the hock left on, making it easier to carve.

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2. COB Ham

Also known as a Traditional Ham on the bone, this simply means 'Cooked on the Bone'. It is the traditionally cooked leg ham and can often be bought in either whole, half or third leg sizes. This is the type of ham most Kiwi households are probably traditionally used to seeing on the Christmas dinner table, slathered in your favourite homemade glaze.

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3. Pressed Ham

Sometimes also called a 'Continental Ham' these hams are an old fashioned style where the bones are removed and the ham is pressed into a solid form, making it easy to carve.

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4. Raw Ham

For most people, a raw ham is a bridge too far on Christmas Day. The majority of hams you buy are smoked and cooked by the butcher, to their own, generally highly guarded recipe. You take it home and add that delicious glaze to just finish off the job. But, if you want to take on a real challenge, you can find uncooked and/or unsmoked hams at some stores.

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Which one should you pick in the shop?

When you get to the point of choosing your ham from the butchery counter, here's our two tips for choosing the right one

1. Look for a natural meaty texture: avoid any that appear wet or rubbery.

2. Look for smooth, even skin and even colouring. If the knuckle is sunken, it may be overcooked. If the rind is buckled or uneven, it may be a sign of dryness.

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What size is right for you? 

When it comes to Christmas dinner, the smorgasbord on offer usually means a huge amount of food is available and everyone wants a taste of everything. So, when you've got at least one other main meat dish and sides we suggest you allow 1kg of ham per 6-8 people.

If ham is the only main meat dish on your Christmas menu (and let's face it, why would you need anything else?!), we'd suggest you allow for 1kg of ham per 5 people.

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Make sure it's New Zealand pork

Consumers who buy 100% New Zealand pork can be confident that it comes from pigs born and raised to the world’s highest animal welfare standards using sustainable farming practices.

This is not the case with all pork sold in New Zealand. New Zealand imports pork from around 25 countries, which means around 60% of the pork consumed in New Zealand is from overseas. All these countries use farming practices that in some respects do not meet New Zealand’s animal welfare standards or are in fact illegal in this country. We have no control over this as World Trade Organisation rules don’t allow countries to discriminate based on animal welfare standards.

Imported product may be cheaper than 100% New Zealand pork, reflecting the differences across countries in animal husbandry practices, such as use of sow stalls, fair wages for workers and environmental practices.  

To know you're getting NZ pork look for: 

• A pricing label that says NZ PORK or ‘born and raised in New Zealand’ and/or
• One of these on-pack labels:

Golden rule: If the pricing label doesn’t say NZ PORK, doesn’t say 'born and raised in New Zealand' OR have one of our on-pack labels... it’s probably not New Zealand pork!

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You can also check out our retailer directory which lists suppliers of NZ bacon, ham and pork.

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Choose the very best of the best

If you're really wanting the number one product available, check out the winners of the 100% New Zealand Bacon & Ham Awards

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