Recession brings a welcome gift to some in Spain this December, with this year’s lower prices making it more likely that companies will include a jamón in the traditional Christmas hampers given to their staff.

Recession could bring a welcome gift to some in Spain this December, with this year’s lower prices making it more likely that companies will include a jamón in the traditional Christmas hampers given to their staff. The sector has seen lower than expected sales both in Spain and abroad, and more than 1 million jamones ibéricos remain unsold, despite prices having dropped by half.Some of the jamón shops are even giving away the cheaper paletillas – a shoulder of ham – with a purchase and there’s the possibility that the sector could face losses in 2010.And as Christmas approaches, many more people are planning ahead and buying the ingredients for their traditional Noche Buena meal now to freeze them ready for the big night. Prices for fish and shellfish, particularly, always shoot through the roof nearer the date, and it can mean a big saving for the family outlay to cross certain products off their shopping list as early as possible