Tesco Finest Wafer Thin Wiltshire Cured Ham 115g


***What's it like***

Having watched the recent Jamie Oliver programme about pork in this country, I knew that I would have to change my shopping habits. You would have had to have been very hard hearted not to feel sympathy, with regards to how pigs are cared for on farms in general.

Rules and regulations with regard to the conditions these animals are due to change, I think in 2012 - however our farmers have complied earlier and have put most requirements into force now. This puts farmers in this country at a disadvantage with our European neighbours, as keeping pigs in squalid conditions, equals larger profits.

I therefore went in search of some ham that has been not just packed, but farmed in this country, to support British farmers. I chose this ham, because my children like the wafer thin stuff and this was as close to what they used to have as I could find.

The packaging is black and silver and is part of the 'Finest' range of products. It has some information on the front of it about how it is made. It has 19 calories per slice, and 0.6g fat (0.2g saturated fat). Having said this, the slices are hard to separate as it is wafer thin stuff. Salt I felt was quite high at 0.3g of salt per slice, but I do expect this when I buy ham, sausages or pork.

It is pale pink in texture and you can see straight away that this is not the sort of product that has been stuffed with water. There is also a picture of ham on the bone on the front of the packet.

Once the packet is opened you are supposed to consume within two days, but I ignore this, wrap it in greaseproof paper and just use my better judgement!

Ingredients state British pork, Salt and Preservatives.

***Opinion***

After watching the programme, I wasn't sure I would eat any meat again! We don't really eat very much in our house, but my children do like a ham sandwich from time to time.

Overall, the ham tasted nice, (the texture is fine too) but it isn't filling at all. This may or may not be a good thing, depending on what you want your calorie intake to be. If you are on a diet, then this can be nice to add to a salad or an omelette. The slices are a bit hard to separate too, so we just stick a pile of it in a sandwich.

I will buy this again, as my children liked it and I felt a bit better buying British. There didn't appear to be additional fat that you sometimes get with ham and not being all sloppy and watery was a definite plus.

By the way, I only found out through watching the programme that Wiltshire ham isn't necessarily made in Wiltshire! This is apparently a method of curing ham! The details of which are outlined on the back of the packet.

***Availability***

It is of course only available in Tesco and is on offer 2 for £4 at the moment, which I think isn't too much to pay, if you are interested in buying a product with the red tractor on it. The shelf life is over one week, so I knew that I would use both packets. I will continue to sample and try other brands of ham, in my search for pork farmed in this country.