La Casa del Jamón.

For someone that doesn't eat ham, I am really excited to see the new store of La Casa del Jamón across the bullring, in el Puerto de Santa Maria.  It has always been across the bullring, but now it is in a different corner (Calle Valdés and Avenida del Ejercito) in a brand new store, even closer to the bullring.

New design, more inviting to come and explore the goodies

Of course it still sells ham, but so many other great products from the Cadiz region

Larger, more elegant.  Has a fresh, clean look, with inviting colors to come in and explore.  My favorite addition, is a separate room to keep the ham, like a jewelry store with a vault.  You see, this was a gourmet store I couldn't set food in.  The ham was hanging from all corners of the store and the smell was so intense, that made my stomach turn.  So when my husband went to buy ham, I waited, like a good wife, outside the store, while he ordered ham for him and the rest of the crew at home.  Happy to report, not anymore,  I can now walk in, greet the staff, look at the canned pates, tunas, salted fish, oils, check out the cheeses and olives from the province of Cadiz, buy bread and wine.  I'm so happy.

Nice local wine selection.  Like red wine Garum, from Cadiz, which is delish.

Ham room. Hard to see from the reflection, but it is full of ham

Now they sell sandwiches from an outdoor window. 
No one walks by without stopping by to take a look

This new approach to the old traditional ham store has really changed the way ham is sold around here.  Soon after this happened, many of the other ham stores began remodeling their stores.  It was an added plus that La Casa Del Jamon also changed locations, from a little crammed store, to a corner of a busy street.  Now it has pedestrians from all directions noticing the store.  On top of that, two large windows that serve the public without having to enter the store.  You can purchase little morsels of ham packet in a paper cone, buy sandwiches, fresh pork rinds, sodas and beer.  On the other window you buy bread, cheese, pates, and other gourmet goods.  ** 

… and many types of bread

My hubby's favorite, "Chicharron".  Meaty fresh pork rinds.

For ham lovers, little paper cones full of diced ham for munching on the go.

This is new, blue cheese from the mountains of Cadiz.  I'll let you know how good it is as soon as I try it.

** Update, by the end of 2014, the famous Cosas de Come gourmet magazine, that reports all things related to food in the Cadiz region, chose La Casa del Jamón the best store of 2014.  

By the way the blue cheese is to dye for.  I love it, now every time I have to take something yummy to a friends house. I buy a chunk of this blue goat cheese from the mountains of Cadiz.