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The Origins of Our Beloved Christmas Day Feast

There’s something truly magical about Christmas Day in the UK - the twinkling lights, the festive cheer, and, of course, the sumptuous feast that brings everyone together.

But have you ever paused between bites of your Christmas pudding to wonder about the origins of these traditional dishes? Let’s embark on a culinary journey through history, supported by classic literary references, to uncover the stories behind our favourite festive foods and drinks.

Along the way, we’ll see how the Christmas spirit, as captured in timeless tales, still influences how we celebrate—both in what we eat and in the compassion, generosity, and joy we share.

I've included a link to the Christmas stories I am talking about on Project Guttenberg so you can download them.  Why not take the opportunity to indulge in Jolabokaflod, the Icelandic tradition of giving a book on Christmas Eve, by reading one of the classic stories in this blog?

Roast Turkey: A New World Arrival
The centrepiece of most British Christmas dinners, the roast turkey, wasn’t always the bird of choice. Before the 16th century, people feasted on goose, peacock, or even boar’s head. It wasn’t until the turkey was brought to Britain from the Americas in the 1520s that it began to grace our festive tables. King Henry VIII is believed to be one of the first English monarchs to savour turkey at Christmas. Its popularity soared because it was large enough to feed a family and didn’t require sparing the more valuable farm animals.

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (1843), in which Ebenezer Scrooge sends a “prize turkey” to the Cratchits, exemplifies how turkey became the emblem of a generous, heartfelt Christmas. This act of kindness symbolises not just culinary preference but the moral heart of the season.

Learn more about the turkey’s history here and read A Christmas Carol on Project Gutenberg here.
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Stuffing: More Than Just an Accompaniment
Stuffing has been enhancing festive roasts since Roman times. Originally a frugal means of using stale bread and offal, it evolved into a seasoned companion that perfectly complements the richness of roast meats. Sage and onion became the British standard, believed to aid digestion after a hearty meal.

Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle (1892) features a Christmas goose at the heart of a mystery. While the stuffing itself isn’t the plot’s centre, the presence of a Christmas bird filled with seasonal flavours captures the importance of well-stuffed poultry at festive tables.

Discover the history of stuffing here and read The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle (part of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) here.  For the perfect stuffing recipe try out Mary Berry's here

Brussels Sprouts: Tiny Greens with a Big History
Love them or loathe them, Brussels sprouts are a British Christmas staple. Cultivated in Belgium since the 13th century, their arrival in Britain in the 19th century ensured these mini-cabbages became a wintertime must-have. Their seasonality ties them to the festive meal.

The modest Christmas feasts depicted in Hans Christian Andersen’s stories—while not always specifying sprouts—reflect the humble origins of many traditional dishes. Tales like The Little Match Girl (1845) focus on compassion and empathy during the holiday, mirroring the honest simplicity of seasonal vegetables that have fed countless families through cold winters.

Learn about Brussels sprouts here and read The Little Match Girl here.
Fine the recipe for this dish here
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Christmas Pudding: A Stirring Tradition
Our rich and fruity Christmas pudding descends from medieval frumenty—a mix of grains, meat, and spices. Over centuries, it morphed into the sweet, boozy pudding we know today. Victorian Britain cemented the tradition of each family member giving it a stir and making a wish, as immortalised by Dickens.

In The Chimes (1844), another Dickens Christmas novella, we encounter themes of hope and redemption, just as in A Christmas Carol. While not pudding-centric, the moral lessons and communal spirit in Dickens’ Christmas tales reflect the shared ritual of preparing and savouring the pudding.

Read about Christmas pudding here, explore The Chimes here, and revisit A Christmas Carol here.

Mince Pies: From Savoury to Sweet
Mince pies once contained actual minced meat blended with fruits and spices. Over time, the meat faded away, leaving behind a fragrant, fruity treat. By the Victorian era, mince pies were firmly established as a sweet holiday indulgence.

O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi (1905) underscores that the true sweetness of Christmas lies in love and sacrifice, rather than in the pies themselves. Yet, the gentle pleasure of sharing treats like mince pies echoes the story’s tender spirit.

Explore the history of mince pies here and read The Gift of the Magi here.
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Cranberry Sauce: An American Influence
Cranberries, native to North America, travelled across the Atlantic to become a modern British festive staple. Their tartness lightens the richness of the Christmas meal, illustrating how traditions constantly evolve through cultural exchange.

In E.T.A. Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1816), a child’s dreamlike journey through magical kingdoms suggests the global tapestry of Christmas traditions. While cranberry sauce doesn’t appear in these older European tales, the story’s sense of wonder mirrors the way new flavours enrich our festive table.
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Find out about cranberry sauce here and read The Nutcracker and the Mouse King here.
Click here to make the recipe for the cranberry sauce pictured
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The Rise of Vegetarianism: A New Tradition Takes Root
Recently, many British households have embraced vegetarian and vegan options at Christmas. Nut roasts, rich root-vegetable wellingtons, and lentil bakes now share the spotlight with traditional meats. This reflects not only health and environmental considerations but also the inclusivity and empathy central to the holiday spirit.

Stories like Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen (1844), while not strictly “Christmas” in theme, evoke the resilience and compassion synonymous with the season. The idea that everyone deserves warmth and nourishment aligns with adding plant-based options to our holiday feasts.

Learn more about vegetarian Christmas traditions here and explore The Snow Queen here.
Want to make the butternut squash nut roast pictured?  Then click here.

Christmas Day Drinks: Raising a Glass to Tradition
Mulled wine, with medieval European roots, warms the heart and wards off winter chills. Eggnog, initially a medieval British “posset,” has long since become a festive staple. Champagne and sparkling wines add celebratory fizz, while Christmas ales and punches fill mugs with seasonal cheer.

Clement Clarke Moore’s poem A Visit from St. Nicholas (1823), better known as ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, captures the anticipation and comfort of the season, perfectly complementing the convivial atmosphere created by festive drinks.

Discover the history of Christmas drinks here and read A Visit from St. Nicholas here.

Want to make a fantastic non-alcoholic alternative to mulled wine? 
Why not try Judith's fruit punch.  
Ingredients
2 Cinnamon Sticks
4 tbsp clear honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
12 cloves
Rind of 2 oranges, in strips
1 litre carton of cranberry juice
​Handful of dried cranberries
Method

1. Gently heat the cranberry juice.
   
2. Add the honey and vanilla extract and stir until the honey has dissolved.
   
3. Add the orange rind, cinnamon sticks and dried cranberries and heat through.
   
4. Strain into a warmed serving jug and serve warm.
   

Cooks Tip : This tastes best when served at a temperature of around 38-40ºC

A Tapestry of Stories and Traditions
Our Christmas feast is a culinary tapestry woven from centuries of history and interwoven with classic tales. From Dickens to Andersen, from Doyle to Hoffmann, these stories reflect our changing values, reminding us that the holiday’s true essence is generosity, compassion, and joy.
    •    Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot’s Christmas (1938), while a crime novel, sets its mystery against a festive backdrop of family feasting and secret resentments. Not available in the public domain, you can read more about it on the Agatha Christie website here. Its setting underscores how culinary traditions and festive gatherings often serve as the stage for human drama and reconciliation.
    •    Beatrix Potter’s The Tailor of Gloucester (1903) features mice who complete a beautiful waistcoat for Christmas. While no lavish feast is at the centre, the spirit of giving and helping one another resonates with the ethos of the Christmas meal. 
    •    Charles Dickens’ The Chimes speaks to the moral and communal lessons tied to the season, while Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Match Girl reminds us of the less fortunate—a call to share our bounties with those in need.

While Hercule Poirot’s Christmas isn’t available on Project Gutenberg due to its copyright status, you can still read many other public-domain classics that capture the festive spirit and culinary traditions of Christmas:
    •    A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
    •    The Chimes by Charles Dickens
    •    The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
    •    The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffmann
    •    The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle by Arthur Conan Doyle (in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)
    •    A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore
    •    The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen
    •    The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen
    •    The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter

Each dish and drink on the Christmas table tells a story of cultural exchange, historical shift, and moral reflection. From the turkey embraced by Ebenezer Scrooge’s newfound generosity to the vegetarian dishes that honour everyone’s needs, our Christmas feast evolves with time—just as our cherished stories do.

This holiday season, as you gather around the table, remember these tales and their lessons. The richness of the feast and the warmth of shared traditions are amplified when we understand the histories and values that simmer beneath every plate and glass.

Wishing you a very merry Christmas, filled with kindness, laughter, and, of course, delicious food and drink!

The origins of this are shrouded in the myseteries of time but what we do know is that back on Christmas Eve, 1948, The United States Air Force issued a communique stating that an 'early warning radar net to the north' had detected 'one unidentified sleigh, powered by eight reindeer, at 14,000 feet, heading 180 degrees'.  

Associated Press pass this 'report' to the general public and was intended as a one off event.

Then one enterprising member of Colonel Shoup's staff used a picture of Santa on the board to track unidentified aircraft, that December.  Shoup contacted CONAD's public affairs officer Colonel Barney Oldfield and between them, they contacted the press to tell them that 'CONAD, Army, Navy, and Marine Air Forces will continue to track and guard Santa and his sleigh on his trip to and from the U.S. against possible attack from those who do not believe in Christmas'

But, running a hotline takes an awful amount of people and the phone lines are staffed by volunteers with reports of around 40 calls per hour, per person and the team dealing with over 12,000 emails and 100,000 telephone calls from more than two hundred countires and territories.  Bearing in mind that this tracker doesn't open until Christmas Eve, the pones are normally manned for 20 hours starting at 4am, finishing at midnight MST on Christmas Day.

To give you an idea of the size of the opperation, in 2015, 1,200 US and Canadian military personnel volunteered to staff the phone lines.  By 2018 this had risen to 1,500 volunteers and by 2019, the wonderful noradsanta.org website had received 8.9 million visitors.

NORAD Santa Tracker, online  noradsanta.org  has been up and running on the internet since 1997 at the dawn of commercial internet sites.

If you visit during January to the end of November you are greeted with a message to come back on 1st December.  From the 1st, the website has information on the Santa tracker, games and other activities.  Once it gets to 24th December in the site chanes to show Santa's journey with mini videos at world-wide landmarks.

What is amazing is that the Santa tracker is run by volunteers and corporate sponsorship.  It received no money from US or Canadian taxpayers.

But behind the random acts of kindness in Saint Nicolas of Myra's history, we now have a Father Christmas or Santa Claus who has lists of naughty or nice children where those on the bad list get lumps of coal.

For me, I like to think of a few years ago when I helped to wrap up presents at the local Salvation Army.  These were being given to families who really have nothing at Christmas.  All said that they were from Father Christmas. 

​For those children who have nothing, a present that their parents didn't have to worry about affording, was literally a God send.

Whilst Christmas has become commercialised, so has Father Christmas.  

A Visit from St. Nicolas by Clement Clarke Moore, published in the early 1820s, brings us the idea of reindeer and also names them. And as this idea of the personification of Merry Christmas merged with the man in the red suit, so he starts to appear in commercials.

By1931, Coca-Cola commissioned ilustration Haddon Sundblom to paint Sanata for Christmas adverts and the trend was born.

In 1939, Montgomery Ward, a Chicago based department store commissioned ad man Robert L. May to create a colouring book as an instore holiday giveaway.  The book; Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer inspired the Jonny Marks song of the say name.  May was Mark's brother-in-law.

In the same article that I've linked about Montgomery Ward, the author suggests you search Santa and cigarette ads on google.  Don't.  You will be horrified to see the number of times Santa was used to promote smoking.

Amongst all the commercialism, I'm reminded of a couple of years ago when I went to the local Salvation Army and wrapped up presents for families who literally had nothing at Christmas.

These gifts, for their children, were marked as from Father Christmas and embodied the real spirit of Saint Nicolas, giving secretly to people who need it.