Consumer group Choice has dropped one of its most coveted annual lists, revealing its best-tasting ham for Christmas 2025.

This year the title went to one of the cheapest hams on the test list, Coles’ Christmas Beechwood Smoked Half Leg Ham.

Choice editorial director Mark Serrels said Christmas ham was a holiday staple.

“But with so many to choose from, it can be tricky to find the best one for your table. Luckily, our experts have taste-tested a variety of Christmas hams to help you choose the best option,” he said.

Choice’s experts blind-tasted 12 leg hams from Coles, Woolworths, IGA and Aldi, assessing them on criteria that included flavour, texture, appearance and smell. The winning Coles ham had a score of 80 per cent.

“Our experts praised it for its mild but pleasant aroma, good texture with a moist mouthfeel, and its flavour, which was balanced nicely with smoky and sweetness,” Serrels said.

“The winning Coles ham was also one of the cheapest hams in our taste test, costing only $8 per kilogram, revealing that price doesn’t always indicate quality.”

Coles’ rival Woolworths had the remaining two hams in Choice’s top three – the Mountain Ash Wood Double Smoked Half Leg Ham (rating 73 per cent, $13 a kilogram) and Woolworths Bone In Half Leg Ham (rating 70 per cent, $8 a kilogram).

IGA’s Seven Mile Premium Double Smoked Leg Ham, which had won the taste test in the previous two years, did not feature in the top hams this year.

Choice also made special mention of the hams its tasters thought were the worst – Aldi’s Festive Selection Australian Half Leg Ham On-The-Bone (rating 61 per cent, $7.99 a kilogram) and Woolies’ Gold Collection Triple Smoked Free Range Half Leg Ham (rating 62 per cent, $15.50 a kilogram).

The experts weren’t kind to either ham, describing the Woolies offering as “very dark, almost burnt-looking”.

“Flavour is balanced but texture is very dry and overcooked, especially near edges,” one said.

Aldi’s bottom-ranked, meanwhile, was described as “pale, dry, and uneven in appearance with very mild aroma and flavour”.

“Flavour is mild and distracted by powdery, unpleasant texture,” one taster said.

Choice also had tips for anyone who wants to bypass the supermarkets and get their festive ham from a local butcher. There was a butcher’s ham among the 12 tested this year.

It was also tasted blind, so the expert panel didn’t know what they were trying.

“Mild but pleasant taste, not too salty, little smokiness but good balance,” one panellist said.

Choice warns consumers that while butchers can offer things such as quality, freshness and expert advice, their hams will come at a premium. The product was the most expensive it tested, at $25 a kilogram.