christmas ham

so I am craving ham like you would not believe!! I am way too much of a paranoid freak to eat any of the 'no no' foods, but I am ready to kill for a fresh ham sandwich!

Does anyone know if I bought a fresh xmas ham on the bone, and ate it fresh the day I bought it and unwrapped it, would it be listeria safe? (if there is such a thing really) pleeeeease someone say yes lol.

cheers :D

I don't know, some people have said on other forums that it's safe, but others who have worked in various industries, say be more cautious..

You can eat it hot obviously.

I am avoiding any listeria risks, I have a friend who works at the Mater, she's a nurse and she strongly told me to avoid any potentially risky foods.

But everyone has their own opinion.

Generally with a Christmas ham it is covered with a layer of skin & fat. If you peel that off & eat a few slices straight from the top, straight after it is cut then you will be fine. The skin & fat have protected the meat from any listeria germs, but ones it has been exposed to the air then you should steer clear. Of course prior to eating it, make sure it has been kept very cold & hasn't sat out for very long before it is carved. Also make sure you eat it right after carving so it's not sitting out in the warm air.

This is how I did it for the three Christmas' that I was pregnant, under doctor's instruction from the first pregnancy ;)

What Sarah said :) Thank you for putting it so much better than I could have :hug:

ooooh! Goodie! :D

thank you :)

dh works in the warehouse where we are getting the ham so i know it will have been stored correctly (well once he got it). yuummmmmm

oh yum, now I want some xmas ham!! I haven't felt like ham but once you mentioned xmas ham..... hmmm

Another thread the last couple of days is also talking about a ham craving :lol: you're not alone!!

hehe i don't even particuarly like ham that much when not preg - but 40 weeks is a long time :p

don't even talk to me about sushi, kebabs, brie, twiggy sticks, wine, mcflurry......

Ham straight off the bone is perfectly safe to eat.
It's mostly ham (and other cold meats) that have been sitting in deli conditions that is the big no no.

I eat cold ham all the time! Do they recommend that you don't eat ham in Australia? They say it is fine in the UK.

Not on the NHS site they don't..

Listeriosis - NHS Choices

The listeria bacteria has been found in a range of chilled ‘ready-to-eat’ food, such as:

* pre-packed sandwiches,
* pâté,
* butter,
* soft cheeses such as Brie or Camembert or others with a similar rind,
* soft blue cheese,
* cooked sliced meats and
* smoked salmon.

I have been craving a fresh ham sandwich for months. It's even gotten to the point where I've told DH that he has to have ham and fresh bread on hand all around my due date so he can make me a sandwich to take into hospital when I got into labour :lol: Mmmm Chrissy ham.....

That's interesting, thanks for that Sarah. I just assumed you weren't supposed to (though ate it anyway)

I got food poisoning from Christmas ham the year before last, so personally i would avoid it, and will be. Only other thing i can suggest is to cook one yourself, least you know how long it has been cooked for etc and eat it hot.

Butter is a no no? What about salami and ham from safe way and then you cook it a bit before eating it?

Well I just googled (googling is dangerous lol) but it does come up as there being outbreaks of Listeria bacteria in a couple of butter factories - one in Finland and one in the UK.

I would just avoid deli meat anyway, as it has the preservative? sodium nitrate which isn't that good for us.

As to the OP she knows where the meat is coming from.

edited to say, this is something my Mum does, she doesn't keep butter in the fridge in Winter which is a very English thing to do..so that might be why there's a butter warning!

my mums friend grew up in the UK and they kept their butter in the cupboard all winter long too! ewwww imaging doing that here

every year for christmas my mum bakes us ham in her webber bbq, with the glaze and pineapple, soo soo good!