The Ultimate Christmas in July Menu

We love Christmas in July. What could be better than sitting down to a juicy glazed ham, with a crackling fire, mulled wine and Michael Buble on heavy rotation? 

If you’re planning a Christmas in July menu, you’ve got one important advantage. This cooler weather makes glazing, boiling and baking much more enjoyable. You get to use all those traditional Christmas recipes that are just too hot at the peak of summer.

So stoke up the fire, help yourself to a gingerbread reindeer (or two) and let’s create the ultimate Christmas in July feast.

1. Warm spiced wine

Keep out the cold with a lovely fragrant beaker of warm mulled wine. (If wine is not your thing, you can substitute Cider). This is the perfect treat to serve as your guests arrive.

Recipe and image from Jamie Oliver

2. Tawny-glazed Christmas ham

Christmas hams are a traditional favourite. When choosing your ham, make sure it has the official pink PorkMark logo, so you know it’s Australian-grown. 

Christmas hams come in three main types. You can choose either a traditional bone-in ham variety, an easy-carve ham variety (with just one central bone that acts like a handle when carving) or a boneless ham variety. 

For a traditional glazed ham centrepiece, we can’t go past this Tawny, Orange and Mustard glaze. This is a relatively simple, classic recipe that works with all kinds of sides. Be warned – you probably won’t get seconds! 

3. Honey-baked winter vegetables

Winter vegetables are a must. If your centrepiece is an Australian Christmas ham, we recommend serving generous sides of seasonal winter veg like sweet potato, parsnips, carrots and string beans. 

Since it’s Christmas (in July), try slow baking the veg with nutmeg, garlic and honey. As your vegetables bake they’ll be infused with a rich, sweet flavour that will please even the fussiest eaters.

Honey roast carrots and parsnips recipe

4. Aussie Christmas fruitcake

If your stock of gingerbread reindeer is dwindling, you’ll need a traditional Christmas pudding. The challenge with fruit cake is that it often needs to be prepared days or weeks ahead. This is so that the alcohol and preserved fruit can mature, melding the flavours over time. 

If you’re time-poor maybe the quickest option is to visit your local gourmet grocer or continental deli. But if you’ve got the time to start from scratch, try this excellent recipe featuring Australian-grown Macadamias.

Recipe and image from Delicious

Get in the festive spirit with Kaczanowski

If you’re planning a Christmas in July celebration, make sure you choose a high quality Australian Christmas Ham to grace your table.

What are you waiting for? Chances are, there’s a Kaczanowski stockist near you!