20 December 2011

CHRISTMAS HAM

New Zealand’s pork farmers have taken a hammering in the media in recent times and the industry is all the better for the inquisition. Regular audits and an endorsement programme run by the SPCA Blue Tick campaign means that much of our locally raised pork can now be relied upon to be disease-free and from animals that live on “happy farms.” I like to think I am eating ham from an animal that has been humanely treated, with none of those crates, cages or pens, nor with growth hormones, antibiotics or tricky chemicals in the feed. This year look carefully at the labelling before purchasing your ham.

A few weeks ago, before the onslaught of the party season, I was invited to Nosh, a specialist food retailer in Auckland, to taste and evaluate ham. The Nosh chef sliced into a selection of hams, purchased from various supermarkets around the city, and we all read the labels carefully to check the origin and processing of each. There was no doubt in my mind, and in the opinion of other food writers present, that there were vast differences in the hams we tasted. Some were watery, some very fatty, and some with labels that read “contains imported and local products.” One imported ham actually stated it was 90% ham. What, I wondered, made up the other 10%? Those who know me recognize I’d never buy imported product if I can eat locally grown and raised food.

The two locally grown hams we tried, one the Black Rock brand (Nosh’s own), the other from Freedom Farms, were all agreed to be superior in flavour and texture to the imported hams. Luckily for us, local hams are widely available and those two are not the only fine quality locally produced pork. For many years I have ordered my ham from Holly Bacon in Hawke’s Bay, and I’m also aware of the many small butchers and pork companies throughout New Zealand who do an excellent job of growing and marketing pork products. I love the free-range Havoc products and brought some Waitaki pork back from the Food Show in Christchurch that my appreciative mother is still talking about.

Click on the RECIPES section of my website list opposite the photo of the ham (taken by Elizabeth Clarkson) and that will take you to recipes for a fantastic ham glaze and a recipe for a ham salad for the leftovers.