THERE’S no denying that Christmas lunch is the most important meal of the year – so in the run up to the special day, it’s only natural to want to get some practice in.
One woman who knows a little something about this is Lauren Mackay.
Earlier this month, the mum-of-two, 27, from Aldershot, Hampshire, thought she’d prepare some gammon for dinner by leaving it in her slow cooker all day.
That morning, Laura – who works as an NHS rehab support worker – took it out the fridge, soaked it in water for an hour, glazed it with honey and then left it on a low heat for seven hours.
After a long day at work, Laura was looking forward to tucking into the festive meal.
But after lifting the lid of the slow cooker, the mum noticed that the ham had developed a weird “skin”.
She said: “As I lifted it out I realised the skin went all the way around.
“I called my mum, as you do, and she told me it was the plastic! I couldn’t believe it, I was so gutted. I was starving.”
Although her mum told her to chuck the ham, Laura and her husband Sean and daughter Matilda decided to eat it anyway – and she joked that they’ve lived to tell the tale.
She continued: “I took the plastic off, poured some more honey over it and it tasted normal to be honest.
“It probably would have been better if I’d taken the plastic off before cooking but at least it didn’t ruin dinner completely.”
Before the epic gammon fail, Laura considered herself to be a “good cook” – although her husband Sean’s nonchalant reaction has made her reconsider her abilities in the kitchen.
That said, she’s still planning on cooking another gammon for Christmas – and definitely won’t be making the same mistake again.
She said: “With the gammon, my partner just acted like this is the normal type of thing I would do.
“I suppose I have had a few incidents of things sticking to pans or putting things on the hob forgetting it’s still on.
“I posted about the gammon on Facebook and a few people found it disgusting, one person told me I needed a trip to Specsavers.
“I have had some people tell me you can actually cook them with the plastic on to hold it together but I don’t think you’re supposed to season the plastic…!”
For more hilarious food fails, this McDonald’s customer was raging after her ‘meat-free’ cheeseburger arrives containing one gherkin – and NO cheese.
And this woman’s bizarre cake-cutting technique sparked furious debate after she used a WINE GLASS to get a slice.
Plus this woman shared her bizarre guide on how to cook Christmas dinner in the dishwasher.