Stay away from the plastic wrap to make Christmas ham leftovers last

According to butcher Alan Matthews from Southlands Quality Meats in Mawson, the key to keeping it fresh into the new year is most likely already sitting in your kitchen - or even on your bed.

"You must keep it in a damp bag. Whether it be a tea towel, a pillow case, or a proper ham bag, you must keep that bag damp," he said.

"So every day you go to the fridge, you slice some ham off, you put your ham bag in the sink with some cold water, then put it on and put it back in the fridge. Then keep it in a cold part of the fridge.

"And don't leave it sit on the bench for an hour and a half while everyone eats lunch on Christmas day."

By putting in the extra effort and keeping it moist, Mr Matthews said leftover ham can last until January 5 or 6.

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To best prepare the meat for festive meals, and save some time with the cleaning up, he recommends to bake the ham first before adding any glaze.

"The most important thing is you're only warming the ham through, you're not cooking it. What I usually do every year is Google a recipe and I never do the same one year after year," he said.

"Put the ham in the oven for 20 minutes to 30 minutes depending on the size of the ham with no glaze. Then where we've scored it, it opens, and then you put your glaze on and it will hold. Otherwise it all runs off and you end up with a sticky mess on the bottom of your baking tray."

And if you take added care, your ham can end up being the gift that keeps on giving - right into the cooler months.

"If you've got a full ham, keep the bones of the ham, freeze it and take it into the local butcher and get them to cut it up and you can make pea and ham soup for winter," he said.