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At Good Food, Christmas season is ham season. It’s a high-stakes, blind-tasted, battle-of-the-hams and, dear reader, the standards have never been higher.
This year, Good Food sourced 18 bone-in leg hams from supermarkets and independent butchers across Victoria and NSW. We assembled a team of restaurant critics, chefs and a butcher, and we devised a new 20-point silent scoring system.
The aim was to find Australia’s best Christmas ham, so we expanded our search beyond national supermarkets to include state-specific entrants from supermarkets such as Harris Farm and Meatsmith. We also tasted more boutique hams from butchers with nationwide shipping, including Feather and Bone.
The judges
- Two-hatted King Clarence chef Khanh Nguyen
- Restaurateur Kenneth Rodriguez of Filipino cafe and bakery Tita
- Fifth-generation Melbourne butcher Ashleigh McBean
- Isobel Whelan-Little, culinary director of Sydney’s Ace Hotel
- Elvis Abrahanowicz, chef and co-owner of Surry Hills’ Porteno and Newtown’s Paisano & Daughters restaurant group
- Good Food Guide co-editor Callan Boys
- Head of Good Food Sarah Norris
- Sydney restaurant editor Bianca Hrovat
We assembled at Kiln restaurant inside the Ace Hotel one morning in mid-November. Before us lay 18 plates of de-identified ham, sliced from three cross-sections of the leg (close to the bone, just beneath the skin, and the inner thigh).
We silently tasted and scored each entrant, allocating a maximum of 12 points for flavour, four points for texture, two points for aroma, and two points for appearance, for a total number out of 20. Discussion was reserved until after scoring.
Our findings revealed two key factors to consider when buying a Christmas ham in 2025: the first, is that there have been improvements across the board. Unlike last year’s taste test, there wasn’t a single ham which was universally disliked, nor any chorus of “yuck” at the tasting table. That means you’re in pretty good stead, even if you’re reading this in mid-December when the boujee options have sold out.
But the real take-home is that happy pigs do indeed taste better. Yes, free-range pork is more expensive and cost of living is front of mind for many people. But if you can spring for a pig that’s roamed grassy pastures, wallowed in muddy pits beneath the sun, and grown at its own pace, you will be able to taste and feel the difference.
And if the budget doesn’t allow for that? Go for the triple-smoked.
Here are the results, ranked in ascending order.
18. Aldi Festive Selection Australian half leg ham bone-in
$7.99 per kilogram
Rodriguez looks uncomfortable. His mouth is full. “Do you need to spit it out?” Norris asks. He nods. “I got a very gritty piece,” he says. “The flavour was almost raw, it was a very porky type of ham.” Not everyone has such a visceral reaction, but most agree the firm texture and mild flavour leaves much to be desired.
17. Woolworths double-smoked half leg ham
$13 per kilogram at Woolworths
Woolies goes big on salty, hammy flavour with its double-smoked variety. “I’m not upset by it,” says Boys. “I immediately wanted to have another slice.” Others found the ham over-brined and overprocessed, with a persistent, rubbery mouthfeel.
16. Coles double-smoked half leg ham
$13 per kilogram at Coles
A ham of great extremes. One slice so sinewy and dehydrated it clung to the insides of my mouth; another so wet it squelched as Nguyen cut into it. One slice Rodriguez describes as “flavourful and well salted”; another Abrahanowicz likens to cat food. This is the ham equivalent of the one-bite challenge, best suited to the risk-takers among us.
15. Central Highlands Pork double-smoked ham on the bone
$9.99 per kilogram at Costco
Last year, the Costco ham took first place in the blind taste test. This year, judges describe it as rubbery, processed, and “spongy in a way that wasn’t pleasant” (Whelan-Little), with a mild sweetness and odd smell. “This is like soccerball ham,” says Abrahanowicz. “Mild, inoffensive.”
14. Black Forest Smokehouse premium free-range leg ham triple-smoked
$15.99 per kilogram at Harris Farm (NSW only)
This is the kind of ham that evokes the fluorescent lighting of a supermarket deli counter, buttered ham-and-cheese sandwiches at school camp, and a charcuterie platter with toothpick-skewered cheddar cubes. “This is one to feed the masses,” says Whelan-Little. It is moist, mild, and just happy to be here.
13. Coles Finest free-range triple-smoked half leg ham
$15.50 per kilogram at Coles
It smells like popcorn. Why does it smell like popcorn? McBean says there might be some onion powder in the brine. She picks up some sweetness too (honey?). Whatever it is, Boys isn’t a fan: “It also has an artificial smoke flavour that doesn’t make me want to come back.”
12. Woolworths bone-in half leg ham
$8 per kilogram at Woolworths
Abrahanowicz describes it as “fishy”. Rodriguez says it’s “briny”. Neither sounds particularly good when describing ham. That being said, most judges consider this your average deli ham: pale, mild and a bit dry, but (mostly) inoffensive. “It’s an approachable, everyday ham,” says Whelan-Little.
11. Spring Grove double-smoked bone-in leg ham
$9.99 per kilogram at Harris Farm (NSW only)
Forget about consistency, this ham is a roller coaster: a slow climb to the top as judges enjoy a “lovely hit of fat” (Norris) which “just melted in the mouth” (Nguyen). And then a rapid drop as the flavour takes an unexpected turn towards bland, verging on bitter. For Abrahanowicz, it’s “acrid” and uneven; for Whelan-Little, it’s lacking smoke, salt or both. And for Norris, it’s simply immemorable.
10. G. McBean Family Butcher Berkshire half ham
$49.90 per kilogram at G.McBean Family Butcher (Victoria only)
This ham is a bit wet. For some judges, that means it’s velvety and soft. For others, it’s soggy and gelatinous. It has a mild nuttiness, characteristic of pasture-raised pork. And, as McBean tells us (after the other judges have scored it and the ham’s identity has been revealed), her family’s ham is cured and smoked to retain moisture after it’s been glazed and baked in the oven.
9. Coles smoked picnic ham
$10 per kilogram at Coles
It looks good on the plate: hearty and pink, with a nice rim of fat. “But it just didn’t hit,” says McBean. It’s the flavour, Nguyen concludes, or lack thereof. “It’s well seasoned but … there isn’t much smoke, it’s a bit plain.” Rodriguez suggests it’s a good ham to glaze, with enough moisture to hold its texture in the oven.
8. Victor Churchill Kurobuta Berkshire traditional full leg ham
$49.16 per kilogram at Victor Churchill
Victor Churchill says Korobuta Berkshire pigs are the “pinnacle of heritage pork”, and I’ve no doubt that’s true. “I had a nice bit of fat covering my piece, it had a very nice texture,” says McBean. Strong, stubborn notes of maple, smoke and salt linger in our mouths, but not everyone’s a fan. “It tastes like liquid smoke,” says Rodriguez.
7. Vic’s Meats signature baby ham whole leg
$49 per kilogram at Vic’s Meats
If you want a ham that’s big on fat and flavour, Vic’s has got you covered. Be warned, though – this pasture-raised baby ham is divisive. Nguyen is a fan for its fat cap and subtle smoky flavour, but finds the texture so tender it borders on gelatinous. Others found the flavour overpowering. “It’s almost a bit like pork belly,” says Whelan-Little.
6. Sunshine Meats double-smoked bone-in ham
$23.20 per kilogram at Sunshine Meats
“Pasty, but tasty,” says Boys. This entrant is infused with maple, and you can really taste it. It’s also among the wetter hams – a feature some judges, such as Rodriguez, appreciate. “I thought it had a great creamy, marbled fat,” he says. Others found it chewy or spongy.
5. Gamze Smokehouse free-range half leg ham
$37.77 per kilogram at Gamze Smokehouse
This little pig was ethically raised on Victorian pastures, without hormones or undue stress. It’s sweet and easy to love, with a delicate honeyed flavour from the chemical-free curing process that wins over most judges. But the salt content proves a bit much for Rodriguez: “When I pressed [the slice] against the inside of my mouth, I could feel the saltiness,” he says.
4. Aldi Specially Selected triple-smoked half leg bone-in ham
$13.99 per kilogram at Aldi
“This is quite a special pig,” says Whelan-Little. “It tastes like a rare breed, with all that intermuscular marbling.” Nguyen was also a fan: “The fat cap was my favourite in terms of flavour, it had nice smoky bits.” But this was not a fancy pig. This was an Aldi pig, smoked using traditional European methods, and it’s less than half the price of its heritage-breed cousins.
Best value
3. Woolworths Gold triple-smoked free-range bone in half leg ham
$15.50 per kilogram at Woolworths
We just can’t quit this smoky little salt bomb of a Christmas ham – for the past three years, Woolies’ triple-smoked has ranked among Good Food’s top three. It feels “artisanal”, says Abrahanowicz, echoing the comments of ham judges past. There’s something about the ham’s tender, meaty texture and strong seasoning that gets us every time.
The runner-up
2. Meatsmith rare breed Christmas leg ham on the bone
$46.66 per kilogram at Meatsmith (Victoria only)
“Well, you would overeat if you had that on the Christmas table,” says Norris. Meatsmith is in the Goldilocks zone of free-range hams: balancing big flavours of smoke, pork and sweetness, with a delicate marbling of fat through each blush-pink slice. “It hits all the spots,” says Whelan-Little. “A good all-rounder.”
The winner
1. Feather and Bone leg ham bone-in with pastured heritage-breed pork
$43.71 per kilogram at Feather and Bone
The pasture-raised Feather and Bone ham arrives towards the end of our long tasting journey. Our mouths are dry and salty, we smell like cured meat, and the joy of pre-Christmas feasting has long gone. Yet there’s something about this ham that demands we eat more. One after the other, judges rise wordlessly from their chairs to collect seconds.
Slices are silky, bordered with thin layers of buttery fat, and strike a delicate balance of smoke and seasoning. It’s “incredible”, says Whelan-Little. “I would –and will – buy this,” says Boys.
The ham is once-smoked to allow the flavours of these pigs to shine through. They’ve had happy lives – wandering pastures, eating diverse and nutrient-dense foods, growing at their own pace – and you can actually taste and feel the difference.
“This is my highest score so far,” Nguyen says. “It has a huge fat cap on it, which I love. A great colour. Slight smokiness. Sweet flavour. Tasty but not too salty.”
