The Hams of the English Counties

The Victorian Englishman who considered himself to live well expected a ham on the sideboard at breakfast and followed his eggs, kidneys, sausages and bacon or fish with a slice or two, and maybe a little cold game as well.

England has always been famous for her hams and almost every county has its own traditional cure.

The basic divergence in curing methods is whether a dry-salt cure or a pickle is used before the ham is smoked. In a few cures the ham is simply hung to dry without smoking. These hams are called ‘green’. Apart from this, the variations lie only in the amount of sugar, treacle or honey used with the salt and saltpetre and the different herbs and spices added.