Country ham is supposed to be the headline here.
The sweet potato biscuits keep stealing copy. That feels slightly unfair to a shop that has been doing ham since 1956.
Then you taste one.
Add a thin slice of ham and suddenly the ranking gets messy.
The ham still means business. Go whole for a holiday table. Keep things easier with boneless.
Or skip the carving board and let a few slices handle lunch. Virginia shows up elsewhere on the shelves too.
Peanuts and mustard keep the regional flavor going.
But I am still watching those biscuits. Because once they enter the picture, the question changes.
How many can you reasonably save for later?
Country Ham Has Anchored The Shop Since 1956
Old Virginia Ham Shop has been part of Norfolk’s food landscape since 1956, with Virginia ham remaining the center of the business.
That longevity is easiest to see in the narrow focus of the shop. Instead of stretching into a general grocery store, it stays close to cured ham, biscuits, peanuts, mustard, honey, jelly, and gift sets built around those flavors.
The ham selection gives different kinds of cooks room to choose how involved they want to be.
An uncooked Smithfield country ham with the bone still in place is the traditional route for someone ready to handle the preparation at home. Fully cooked boneless options take much of that work away.
Thin-cut slices make the same salty style easier to use in smaller meals.
A large gathering may justify a whole ham. A smaller dinner may be better suited to a half boneless ham, while breakfast can be as simple as a few thin slices beside eggs or tucked into a biscuit.
The useful question is simple: how much ham do you actually need?
Smithfield Ham Comes In Several Practical Formats
Country ham can sound like one very specific purchase until you look at the different formats.
Old Virginia Ham Shop carries an uncooked bone-in Smithfield country ham, a fully cooked boneless whole ham, a fully cooked boneless half ham, and thin-cut fully cooked Smithfield country ham slices.
Each one solves a different problem.
The uncooked ham is the project. It belongs with the cook who wants the full preparation process and has enough time to plan ahead. The boneless cooked versions are easier to carve and can be served cold or gently heated.
Thin slices take the least work and make sense when you want the flavor without committing to a centerpiece.
Salt is part of the style, not an accidental detail. The cooked Smithfield hams are dry-cured with salt, and the whole boneless version is meant to be sliced paper thin.
That is useful guidance for a first-timer. A thick slice can make the salt feel much more aggressive, while a thin piece lets the cured flavor work more like an accent.
Think of the ham as something to portion deliberately rather than pile onto a plate. A little can go a long way, especially when biscuits, mustard, eggs, or another side are joining it.
The best format is simply the one that matches the meal you are actually planning.
Sweet Potato Biscuits Bring A Softer Counterpoint
Country ham is salty by design, which is exactly why the shop’s sweet potato biscuits make so much sense beside it.
The biscuits come in two-dozen orders and carry a lightly sweet profile built around sweet potatoes and spices. The shop added them to its lineup after purchasing Jane’s Sweet Potato Biscuits of Franklin, Virginia, in 2021.
That pairing gives you an easy way to balance the intensity of cured ham.
A thin slice of Smithfield ham inside a soft, slightly sweet biscuit needs very little else. Mustard can add a sharper edge, while jelly or honey can push the combination further toward sweet and salty.
The biscuits also give the store a second signature item that works beyond a formal meal. They can be served with breakfast, set out with a spread, or used for small sandwiches when a full plate feels unnecessary.
If you are building a gift or planning a gathering, they also solve the bread question without requiring another bakery stop.
There is no complicated technique involved. Warm them, split them, add ham, and decide whether the next move is mustard, jelly, honey, or nothing at all.
Sometimes a regional food tradition is easiest to appreciate when the pieces are this simple.
Ham Biscuits Keep The Virginia Tradition Easy
The Ghent shop also serves signature Virginia country ham biscuits, giving visitors a ready-to-eat way to try the main specialty.
That matters if you are curious about country ham but not ready to buy several pounds of it.
A biscuit turns the cured meat into a small, manageable portion. You get the salt and savory depth of the ham without needing to plan a holiday meal, study cooking instructions, or figure out what to do with leftovers.
It is also a good reminder that country ham does not have to be reserved for large occasions.
A biscuit can be breakfast, a quick bite, or something to take along after shopping. The format is small enough that the ham stays central without overwhelming everything around it.
If you already know you like the flavor, the ready-to-eat biscuit can also help you decide what to take home next. Thin-cut slices may be the logical move for everyday use. A half boneless ham works for a family meal.
A whole ham belongs to a much bigger plan.
There is no need to jump immediately to the largest option.
Start small, pay attention to the salt level and texture, and let your own appetite decide whether the next purchase belongs in a biscuit or at the center of the table.
Virginia Peanuts And Gift Foods Fill Out The Shelves
Ham may lead the shop, but the supporting lineup stays firmly connected to Virginia pantry traditions.
Virginia salted peanuts, chocolate-covered peanuts, mustard, honey, jelly, sweet potato biscuits, and gift sets expand the selection beyond ham.
The Virginia Sampler, for example, brings together country ham biscuit slices, mustard, sweet potato biscuits, jelly, honey, and salted peanuts. Another combination pairs Smithfield ham slices with two dozen sweet potato biscuits.
Those sets make sense when you want variety without assembling every component individually.
For your own pantry, the same products work in smaller roles. Mustard gives ham a sharper edge. Honey and jelly can soften the salty profile.
Peanuts handle the snack side of the trip without requiring refrigeration or preparation.
One person can focus on ham, another can head toward peanuts or biscuits, and someone shopping for a gift can choose a sampler instead of a single large item.
The shelves stay focused without feeling one-note, with everything circling the same Virginia food story.
The Ghent Location Keeps The Shop Easy To Visit
Old Virginia Ham Shop now operates in Norfolk’s Ghent area after moving from its earlier location.
The shop is at 760 W 22nd St, Norfolk, VA 23517.
The Ghent shop centers on country ham, sweet potato biscuits, and other Virginia specialty foods, while online ordering opens up a broader selection for shipping.
A whole ham is not an impulse item for most households, so think about storage, preparation, and serving size before bringing one home. Fully cooked boneless hams simplify the process, while thin slices are easier for smaller meals.
If you are stopping for a signature ham biscuit, let that be the test run.
The useful part of a specialty shop is not buying the most impressive thing in the room. It is finding the version of the tradition that fits your kitchen.
Sometimes that is a whole cured ham.
Sometimes it is one biscuit and a bag of peanuts.
Online Ordering Extends The Virginia Food Tradition
You do not have to be in Norfolk to shop the core lineup.
Online ordering covers hams, sweet potato biscuits, sliced Smithfield country ham, peanuts, mustard, and gift sets, which makes the shop’s specialties accessible well beyond an in-person visit.
That is especially useful when country ham is part of a gathering somewhere else or when a Virginia-themed food gift needs to travel.
The same basic planning rules still apply. Decide whether the recipient needs something ready to serve, something to prepare, or a sampler with several smaller items.
A fully cooked boneless ham keeps preparation simpler. Thin-cut country ham slices work for biscuits and breakfast. Sweet potato biscuits can become the base of a small sandwich spread.
A sampler handles several tastes at once without making one product carry the whole gift.
For a shipped order, choose the combination that best matches the meal, gathering, or gift you have in mind.
The larger point stays pleasantly simple.
A business that has focused on Virginia ham since 1956 still gives you several ways to bring that tradition to the table. The final choice can be as ambitious as a whole country ham or as easy as a biscuit filled with a few thin slices.