Magnificent hams to take home this Christmas

It looks like Christmas ham is still here to preside over celebrations despite the World Health Organisation's recent advice on cutting down the consumption of processed meat.

Catering to demand due to festive tradition, supermarkets, gourmet and meat stores here and abroad continue to churn out a whole slew of takeaway cured meats from sausages to cured gammons.

After all, it's Christmas, and the granddaddy of festive meats is a must-have in the feast.

Many would practise and argue for moderation most times of the year, but would allow themselves to embrace the whole hog when a celebration calls for indulgence.

Here are some lip-smacking hams to lug home for the holiday.

Pan Pacific Hotel's Smoked Juniper Berry Ham

This surely qualifies as one of the most glorious and compelling Christmas hams this year. Exquisitely bronzed, the handsome 2kg ham is delectably cured and smoked by master butcher Leonhard Weber.

You may want to serve the hotel's 2015 Special Edition Smoked Juniper Berry Ham on a silver platter and set aglow with candlelight. Or better still, flambe it with a sweet liquer just before serving. This ham deserves an entry of pomp.

With the top layers of skin and fat trimmed off, this hunk of meat will excite the weight-conscious. Partner it with a dollop of apricot chutney, and you'll have a Christmas to sing about.

Price: $178 plus GST

Tel: 6826 8240 or email celebrate.sin@panpacific.com

Grand Hyatt's Honey-glazed Bone-in Ham

If you prefer a mighty ham with rind, fat and bone-in, you'll be happy to tackle this gorgeously scored and cloved roast.

Well-spiced with the tingling of clove, the 4-5kg roasts offers honeyed crackling, delicious fat, and of course, chunks of brined meat to satisfy those who do not rebuff the calories that accompany the king of holiday feast.

The rum and raisin sauce pairs well with it. But it's delicious on its own, and when eaten cold.

Price: $250 plus GST

Tel: +65 6887 5492

Dolcetto's Bone-in Honey Mustard Glazed Gammon Ham

Impress your guests with this winsome 7kg leg of ham - formidable enough to challenge a sizeable turkey as the table centrepiece.

Hailed from The Netherlands, this whopper has been exquisitely cured with a fine balance of salt, spices and sugar. Benefiting further from a honey-mustard rub before it's roasted, the ham exudes lovely flavours which are not porky at all, unlike some other hams, including 'branded' ones.

A Marsala wine sauce and a medley of roasted veggies.complete this great ensemble.

Price: $415+ for 7kg. The boneless version is available at $178+ for 1.5kg. From Dolcetto, a cafe-deli outlet of Regent Singapore hotel's Basilico restaurant.

Tel: 67208000 or email dolcetto.rsn@fourseasons.com.

Tampopo restaurant chain's Black Pig Ham

Touted as the 'Wagyu' of pig, the Kurobuta or Black Pig is used in making the Japanese restaurant chain's ultra-succulent sliced ham.

Tenderised in the curing process, the soft, moist meat is what you would like to drape over an open sandwich. But it's so good on its own that we happily scarf it down - fat, rind and all.

Price: $8.50 for 200g packet. Limited quantities available at Tampopo Restaurant and Dulcet & Studio at Liang Court, and Tampopo Restaurant at Takashimaya. To check on availability, telephone: 63381233

Ham galore

From the heart of Orchard Road, Mandarin Orchard's Premium Honey-Glazed Gammon Ham (above) is an old favourite.

Heady with the aromas and flavours of clove and pineapple, the glazed ham will rekindle Christmas pasts for those who have been enjoying it for years. Price: $298+ for 4.2-4.5kg boneless, $388 for 6-7kg bone-in

If you prefer leaner meat with a natural texture, you might like Conrad Centennial Singapore's boneless Honey and Apple Glazed Smoked Ham. Easy to carve, it's not overly tender and goes pleasantly well with the buttery pineapple sauce. Price: $108+ for 2kg.

Apart from the five-star hotels like the Fullerton, Shangri-La, Marina Mandarin, Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons, you can also order a ham from the neighbourhood and town supermarkets like NTUC FairPrice, Cold Storage, Marketplace, and even budget stores like Sheng Siong and Giant.

Butcher shops and delis also offer quality roasts and uncooked hams, such as Huber's, Swiss Butchery, The Butchery, Mmmm! and Culina outlets at FairPrice Finest outlets.

Or grab one or two at marked-down prices at Woodlands food factories.

chenj@sph.com.sg