Australia's best supermarket Christmas ham has been crowned
Australia's best supermarket Christmas ham has been crowned.
Choice experts blind tasted 12 Christmas hams from Coles, Woolworths, IGA and Aldi, assessing them on several criteria including flavour, texture, appearance and smell.
This year, Coles has taken out top spot for the Coles Christmas Beechwood Smoked Half Leg Ham which sells for $8 per kilo.
Australia's best supermarket Christmas ham has been crowned. Nine
Coles' ham received an 80 per cent rating for presenting well, having a "mild but pleasant" aroma and achieving a "nice balance between sweet and smokey flavours".
Karen O'Connor, Coles' General Manager of Meat, Deli and Seafood, tells nine.com.au the supermarket expects to sell around three million kilos of Christmas hams over the festive season.
"We are so excited that our best selling and most popular ham has been recognised by Choice as the top Christmas ham for 2025. It's a fantastic recognition of our commitment to quality and value," she said.
"Our Single Smoked Beechwood Half-Leg Ham is not only delicious but remains at the same great price it's been since 2023, ensuring everyone can enjoy award-winning quality and value this festive season.
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Coles' Christmas ham has topped the ranking based on criteria including flavour, texture, appearance and smell. Nine/Coles
Choice experts described a 'mild but pleasant' aroma from the Coles ham. Nine
"Our 100 per cent Australian and sow stall free Single Smoked Beechwood Half-Leg Ham is a classic Christmas Day staple, representing great value at just over $1.50 per serve."
Coles' winning ham is also marked as 10 per cent off for online purchases between Friday and Sunday, which works out to be $7.20 per kilo.
Close behind Coles' winning ham are two from Woolworths.
The Woolworths Mountain Ash Wood Double Smoked Half Leg Ham took out second place with a 75 per cent rating. This sells for $13 per kilo.
The experts loved the ham's appearance, with "good pink flesh, clean cream fat, and even smoke colour".
They didn't love the texture, which they described as "moist but can be dry and chewy in thicker slices".
In third place is Woolworths' Bone in Half Leg Ham with a rating of 70 per cent.
This is the supermarket's more affordable Christmas ham offering, selling for $8 per kilo.
Woolworths placed second and third in Choice's expert rating. Nine/Woolworths
Experts blind tasted 12 hams from Coles, Woolworths, IGA and Aldi. Nine
The experts liked the colour and appearance of the ham but did note "some sections are pale".
"There's variation in texture, ranging from moist in some areas to dry in others, with areas of overcooking," one said.
Another noted the flavour "is pleasant but bland".
The ham that scored the lowest rating from Choice's experts was Aldi's Festive Selection Australian Half Leg Ham On-The-Bone, which is priced at $7.99 per kilo.
Experts gave it a 61 per cent rating due to its "pale, dry, and uneven" appearance, "very mild aroma and flavour", and "dry and powdery" texture.
An Aldi spokesperson told nine.com.au they stand by their ham.
“Our Christmas leg ham range is Canstar award-winning, receiving five star ratings for value for money, taste, freshness, and packaging.
“We are confident in both the exceptional quality and amazing price point of our festive ham products, and we look forward to our hams becoming the centrepiece of our customers' Christmas celebrations."
Aldi's Festive Selection Australian Half Leg Ham scored the lowest in Choice's ranking. Nine/Aldi
The panel gave it a 61 per cent rating due to its "pale, dry, and uneven" appearance. Nine
Woolworth's Gold Collection Triple Smoked Free Range Half Leg Ham was also given a low rating of just 62 per cent.
This Christmas ham, which sells for $15.50 per kilo, was described by the Choice experts as having a "dark, almost burnt-looking colour, suggesting heavy smoking".
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"It has a smoky aroma and flavour but not as smoky as expected from the dark exterior, one said.
Another commented that the "flavour is balanced but texture is very dry and overcooked, especially near edges".
Woolworth's Gold Collection Triple Smoked Free Range Half Leg Ham was also given a low rating of just 62 per cent. Nine/Woolies
Millions of Christmas hams are sold across Australia each festive season. Aldi
This Woolworths Christmas ham is currently marked as "out of stock" on the website.
A Woolworths spokesperson told nine.com.au: "We are always pleased when our products receive positive recognition from consumer groups like Choice, and it's great to see two of our hams scoring so well.
"We know everyone has a different favourite flavour at Christmas, which is why we offer a range from traditional bone-in to our premium Gold selections, ensuring every Australian family finds the perfect ham for their table."
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