If there’s one time of year when the British have always risen to the occasion, it’s Christmas. While British food generally gets a lot of stick from other countries for either being too plain or lacking in flavour for some reason, it’s hard to argue the same for a traditional British festive spread.
However, even the classics need some little surprise extras sometimes, so here’s our list of things to try out this Christmas from all corners of the U.K.
The Tudor Turducken
The turducken is something of a legendary food at this point, and while it feels like a much more recent food, it might surprise you to know that the Tudors did it first, and did it much, much bigger at that. This era of British history was known for doing things on a grand scale, and they wouldn’t be satisfied with just three birds for their feast table.
The Tudor version was a pigeon, a partridge, a chicken, in a goose, all inside a turkey and then wrapped in pastry. We can’t even begin to think of a shortened name for that one. Now, we wouldn’t recommend going out and hunting down a pigeon, but if you have the resources for all of it, the rest are still available to get today! Probably best for a party of at least 25 people though, as that is a lot of bird.
Christmas Martinis
There aren’t any specific stories of James Bond at Christmas, but we’d bet that this might be the kind of thing he would try after a few regular Martinis. There are multiple recipes for Christmas martini from all over the place, although our pick to try out would be the Gingerbread Espresso Martini, a twist on the original recipe that includes ginger and festive spices.
Once an extremely high-end drink favoured by characters resembling Bond at the roulette table, they now give anyone in Britain a hint of elegance. No longer seen as quite as fancy, and often with vodka over the traditional gin, they still provide a taste of the experience. Online casinos also attempt to replicate the same classy atmosphere, particularly British sites like MrQ which provide a little hint of that nostalgic casino glamour in some of their casino UK games.
Twelfth Night Cake
For those who think that the traditional Christmas cakes that we have now are too extravagant and rich-tasting, you may want to stop reading now. The Twelfth Night cakes of the Victorian era put our modern versions to shame, in some cases being massive creations that put some moderately sized wedding cakes in the shade.
Made in a similar way to Christmas cake with dried fruits and lots of brandy, they also featured a solid layer of hard icing capable of supporting a nan’s mantelpiece worth of decorations. Again, this is one you can try out if you have the funds available, as this is an extremely luxurious creation.
So there are a few ideas for this Christmas if you feel like making a bit of a change, and if you manage to pull off that Tudor five-bird special, make sure to let us know!
