Christmas Customs: British Food

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O dewy flowers that open to the sun,
O dewy flowers that close when day is done,
Blow sweetly: twice my love hath smiled on me.
What knowest thou of flowers, except, belike,
To garnish meats with? hath not our good King
Who lent me thee, the flower of kitchendom,
A foolish love for flowers? what stick ye round
The pasty? wherewithal deck the boar’s head?
Flowers? nay, the boar hath rosemaries and bay.

...What knowest thou of birds, lark, mavis, merle,
Linnet? what dream ye when they utter forth
May-music growing with the growing light,
Their sweet sun-worship? these be for the snare
(So runs thy fancy) these be for the spit,
Larding and basting. See thou have not now
Larded thy last, except thou turn and fly.
There stands the third fool of their allegory

– Tennyson: Idylls of the King

British Isles Christmas Food
Roast chicken, duck, goose, ham, roast beef, oyster stuffing, mashed potatoes, peas, sruan (shortbread: a cookie made with butter, eggs, sugar, and white rice flour), arran jinshar: gingerbread, scones, soddag vess: fruitcake, toffee (brown sugar candy), mince pie (pastry made with suet and candied fruit), tarts (fruit pies), whiskey, and mulled wine. Soddag risheen: plum pudding is eaten for dessert and set on fire with brandy.

English Victorian Status Foods
Eaten by the wealthy in large portions: Yorkshire pudding (eggs, milk, bacon fat), Beef Wellington (puff pastry with meat, egg yolk, cream, liver paté and port wine), Turkish Delight (rosewater gelatin), trifle (poundcake with liqueur, custard, and fruit), savouries (meat pies), sugarplums (preserved plums with sugar), currant buns, breadpudding, ginger beer, licorice and pastilles. Philips Milk of Magnesia was invented during the Victorian era to deal with indigestion.(4)