Christmas lunch/dinner

Has anyone heard about the new testing for lysteria in hams that has to be done now?

I remember reading about it maybe 3-4months ago but haven't been able to find anything on it since.

Apparently all Australian hams like the ones you get at chrissy have to be tested for Lysteria. I can't remember when the new rule was meant to come in but it was definatley before christmas.

Local butchers were complaining that they would lose a lot of business at christmas to the big supermarket chains becuase the cost of the testing was so expensive and they would have to outsource it instead of buying the equipmet and doing it themselves. The butchers were saying they would only be able to sell Canadiam hams (they don't require the testing) at a competive price to the Australian lysteria tested ones from supermarkets.

Would some food and safety board be the place to confirm that this testing is now compulsory on all Australian chrissy type hams?

I had a look at a ham at coles the other day but it made no mention of it on the packaging.

Please tell me this is true!!

J

Snacks - so long as you go really traditional and light the brandy over your pudding (try not to burn your eyebrows off :lol:) you can still have the brandy too - all the alcohol will burn off!!

OMG reminds me of last year - my Dad lit the brandy on top of my aunt's pudding and she accidently tipped a bit off and it landed on mum and dad's coffee table! There's still a burn mark on there... But I suppose that's better than the whole house burning down :rolleyes:
Jaxstar, I haven't heard about that, but would be curious to find out more...

Its a brandy macadamia pudding but I guess the brandy would have been cooked out? (or I could eat it all myself LOL)

Yup, alco will be gone. Nope, you can't eat it all by yourself.

Bummer, I have already knocked out FIL cause he won't eat nuts!! DH hates pudding too so we should all get a decent share LOL

Hi there,

Hhhhmm glad I found this thread because I have been wondering about all these things myself... We're doing Christmas lunch at our place this year which is good cos at least I will have control over what is served.

I normally do a leg of ham in the oven, but it only goes in for an hour or so to warm it up rather than 'cook' it. I'm not sure if it is a 'safe' option... I suppose I/we could always put our slices in the microwave before eating just to be sure...

As for keeping it after you've baked it ? it's fine in the fridge. Wrap it in a tea towel that has been soaked in a vinegar and water mix and then pop it in the fridge, then change the tea towel each day so that it stays fresh. I also find that you can cut off big chunks, wrap them in foil and then freeze them.

Hope this helps...

MrsMac - I reckon you can eat it all yourself!! A friend of mine when she was pregnant opened the fridge to see the choc mudcake from the cheesecake shop in there. It had two small pieces gone from the night before. She had a piece. Then another piece. Then another piece. Then she felt bad that her DH would think she was a real pig when he saw how much was gone so she ate the lot, went and bought a new one, and ate three pieces of the new one so it would look like she had only had one piece of cake that day!

OMG, LOL Lulu! Sounds like something I'd do :redface:
And no Mrsmac can't eat all the pudding by herself because I am going to be at her house for lunch! She has to share with the hungry pregnant chick ;) :rofl:

Thanks for permission Lulu!!! Now tell snacks she can't have any and its all good LOL
I have to confess to eating a whole marble choc cheesecake over a few days last week (I think DD1 may have had 2 pieces)

Well the time is getting closer!!
Have just been talking to my mum this morning about what she is serving up, which as I guessed correctly is the same as what she normally does!
I'm a little worried though, I just don't know what is going to be ok to eat...and everyone I have spoken to has told me not to worry and just go ahead and dig in, my DF tells me I worry too much, and i know my mum would probably have the same view...

We're having a cold lunch, so the regulation ham, cold roast pork and either a cold roast chicken or turkey. Will these be ok to eat cold? I'm thinking no for the ham, but what about the pork/chicken? I'm guessing she will be cooking them christmas eve afternoon, or maybe early christmas day... can they be eaten cold or should I wack it in the microwave for a minute or so before I eat it? I know everyone will look at me strangely...lol

We'll also be having salad which will be made up sometime christmas morning as it's for lunch. Normal green salad, maybe cold boiled potatoes (will these be alright?), and some other salads including a crunchy coleslaw which I really like but it has cabbage in it. I'm probably being paranoid, but just don't want to eat anything that could potentially be harmful. I know I can trust my mum's cooking & hygiene so that's not a problem, it's just with eating the cold meat. I think the salads should be fine?

Reassurance/opinions much appreciated! From people that actually understand and are in the same situation!! :)

SS Storm- my views on this.

yes I would most likely steer clear of the ham - unless you can heat it up til piping hot as it is the biggest culprit for listeria.
The cold pork and chook should be ok providing that they are not sitting out the counter all morning once cooked or were baked the day before and were put in the fridge as soon as possible once cooked. Maybe you can ask your mum to make you a special plate..as soon once the meat has been carved, you can put it straight in the fridge and take it out when you are about to sit down to eat.

Home made Salads are fine.
The only thing to be wary of is the "home made dressing" which may have raw eggs in it. Coleslaw is fine providing is it home made and that the dressing is raw egg free. If its made with store bought mayo it's fine. Once again, providing the ingredients have been washed well and are fresh, I don't see why you shouldn't be eating them. Done't see any issues with the Cold boiled potaotoes either.


If all that doesn't sound too good, there is always plenty of Xmas pudding & dessert to fill up on!!

Its funny about the ham because I was told that ham on the bone was less of a lysteria risk. The ham test is interesting, would love to hear more about that!

SS S - I am not too worried about salads either. I reckon when they are prepared early they are still kept in the fridge, right? So I'd reckon they'd be fine.

Thankyou everyone! Feel much better now! And like I'm not going to be sitting with an empty plate! Lol. Might ask mum if she can just carve me some meat off once it comes out of the oven, that way I can just put it straight in the fridge. Yeah the salads and things will all go in the fridge once they have been made until we are ready to eat, so it should be fine. I don't think any of the dressings she uses have any egg in them so they should be alright it was just the "lettuce" risk I was concerned about....

Thanks again, I feel so much better now :)

I agree with the others SS - it should all be fine so long as the meats are heated to very hot, and the salads have been kept in the fridge.

I got the "you're overreacting", "we never worried about these things" and all other similar comments - usually from my ILs who seemed to think I was silly for not drinking alcohol while pregnant! I found it was easier to actually smile sweetly and agree with whoever told me I was being overly cautious but given that I didn't expect anyone else to go without whatever I was turning down, I didn't see the problem. FWIW, my FIL still says I'm overly cautious, but now its in relation to how I'm raising my daughters. Do what you're comfortable doing - eating a piece of cold ham on Christmas Day just to shut others up is NOT worth you ending up in tears later in the day because you convince yourself that the indigestion you're feeling is really the onset of listeria!!

Enjoy your Christmas Day.

SS what the other said.
As someone who lost a baby to a case of listeriosis, I do not think you are making a big deal.
FWIW, when I was preg with Darcy, MIL thought she'd 'test' me to see how far she could push me at Christmas dinner to see if I would just eat what was offered. She only got out cold prawns and cold ham - said they were all full and leftovers were all we were having....so I ate when I got back home.

does anyone know of a mayonnaise that doesnt contain raw egg? one from the shop?